LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
O?  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 

Mr.    E.    P-   Bradbury 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/englishtravelersOOmoeniala 


0cSB  LIBRA*/ 


ENGLISH    TRAVELERS 


ITALIAN  BRIGANDS, 


21  "Narrative  of  (Capture  antr  (JTaptiDitp. 


BY    W.  J.  C.  MOENS. 


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NEW    YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 

18  66. 


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PREFACE. 


The  great  interest  manifested  in  the  misfortune  with 
which  the  Keverend  J.  C.  Murray  Aynsley  and  I  met 
during  our  visit  to  Southern  Italy  in  the  spring  of  this 
year  (1865),  coupled  with  the  request  of  many  of  my 
friends  that  I  should  publish  some  account  of  my  expe- 
riences there,  induces  me  to  hope  that  a  description  of 
my  adventures  in  the  mountains  near  Salerno  may  not 
be  unacceptable  to  my  countrymen,  particularly  as  little 
is  known  in  England  of  the  "  domestic"  life  of  Italian 
brigands,  very  few  (if  indeed  any)  Englishmen  having 
had  such  an  opportunity  of  observing  brigand  manners 
as  has  fallen  to  my  lot ;  and  I  sincerely  trust  it  may  be 
long  before  any  of  my  countrymen  has  the  misfortune  to 
become  so  intimately  acquainted  as  I  have  become  with 
the  mode  of  life  followed  by  these  free  companions.* 

The  book  which  I  venture  to  offer  to  the  public  has 
no  pretensions  whatever  to  literary  merit  of  any  sort.  I 
have  endeavored  to  describe,  as  simply  as  possible,  what 
took  place  from  day  to  day  during  my  captivity,  and  I 
trust  that  the  many  shortcomings  of  the  work  may  be 
considered  as  atoned  for  in  some  degree  by  the  novelty 

*  Since  my  release,  it  has  been  announced  that  five  other  persons  have 
been  taken  by  my  captors — none  of  them,  however,  Englishmen. 


viii  Preface. 

of,  at  all  events,  some  part  of  what  I  have  attempted  to 
describe. 

To  make  the  narrative  complete,  my  wife  has  supplied 
from  her  diary  an  account  of  what  my  friends  were  do- 
ing for  me  outside  my  prison ;  and  we  have  prefixed 
three  chapters  recounting  our  visit  to  Sicily,  which,  as 
having  taken  place  at  the  time  Mount  Etna  was  in  active 
eruption,  and  also  as  having  introduced  us  to  Sicilian 
brigands,  I  hope  may  not  be  entirely  without  interest. 

I  have  also  ventured  to  add  a  few  general  remarks  on 
Neapolitan  brigandage,  and  the  only  cures  which  my  ex- 
perience enables  me  to  suggest  for  it.  If  the  truth  has 
obliged  me  to  make  any  remarks  on  this  subject  which 
put  the  state  of  brigandage  under  the  present  government 
in  somewhat  unfavorable  contrast  with  what  it  was  un- 
der the  Bourbons,  it  must  not  be  thought,  on  that  account, 
that  I  am  at  all  inclined  to  favor  the  latter.  From  the 
bottom  of  my  heart  I  wish  well  to  United  Italy ;  but,  for 
all  that,  while  fully  appreciating  the  difficulties  of  the 
new  government,  I  must  not  seek  to  conceal  its  short- 
comings in  dealing  with  the  dreadful  scourge  which  de- 
prives the  glorious  peninsula  of  half  its  charms. 

Many  incorrect  rumors  having  been  circulated  with  re- 
gard to  the  ransom  paid  for  Mr.  Aynsley  and  myself,  I 
may  here  state,  once  for  all,  that  the  sum  actually  re- 
ceived and  divided  by  the  brigands  was  30,000  ducats 
(or  £5100),  one  half  of  which  has  been  contributed  by 
each  of  us. 

And,  while  on  this  subject,  let  me  express  my  grati- 
tude to  all  those — many  of  them  comparatively  strangers 
to  me — who  volunteered  pecuniary  assistance  in  getting 


Preface.  ix 

me  liberated,  assistance  of  which  it  was  ray  good  fortune 
not  to  stand  in  need.* 

I  take  this  opportunity  also  of  returning  my  most 
hearty  thanks  to  all  those  who,  during  my  long  captiv- 
ity, so  kindly  interested  themselves  in  various  ways  in 
my  misfortunes,  and  especially  to  those  who  assisted  my 
wife  with  their  comfort  and  advice.  Where  all  have 
been  so  kind,  it  may  appear  invidious  to  specify  names, 
but  I  can  not  refrain  from-  mentioning  Edward  Walter 
Bonham,  Esq.,  C.B.,  her  majesty's  consul  general  at  Na- 
ples, whose  exertions  in  my  behalf  were  indefatigable ; 
Signor  Elia  Visconti,  of  Giffoni,  near  Salerno,  who  ran 
the  risk  of  compromising  himself  and  his  family  with  the 
Italian  government  in  order  to  assist  my  friends  in  trans- 
mitting the  ransom  to  the  brigands  ;  my  generous  friend 

S W S ,  who,  on  receiving  a  telegram  from 

my  fellow-captive,  Mr.  Aynsley,  announcing  that  £8500 
was  required,  without  hesitation,  and  on  his  own  sole  re- 
sponsibility, placed  a  credit  for  that  amount  in  the  hands 
of  Messrs.  Cumming,  Wood,  and  Co.,  of  Naples,  at  a  time 
when  a  few  days'  delay  might  have  cost  me  my  life ; 
Eichard  M.  Holme,  Esq.,  of  the  house  of  Cumming,  Wood, 
and  Co.,  who,  in  addition  to  other  invaluable  and  un- 
wearied exertions  of  his  firm  on  my  behalf,  went  to  and 
fro  between  Salerno  and  Giffoni  at  very  great  personal 
risk,  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  trans- 
mission of  the  money  to  the  brigands,  and  frequently 

*  Among  other  kind  offers,  the  following  deserves  to  be  specially  men- 
tioned. Rajah  Byjenath,  having  heard  from  my  brother  at  Bareilly,  in 
Rohilcund,  that  a  large  sum  of  money  was  required  for  my  ransom,  im- 
mediately offered  him  a  draft  for  a  lac  of  rupees  (£10,000)  to  effect  my 
liberation. 

A2 


x  Preface. 

carrying  the  gold  about  his  person ;  Signor  Michele  di 
Majo,  of  Salerno,  who  generally  accompanied  Mr.  Holme 
on  these  excursions,  and  who  frequently  went  alone  to 
Giffone  for  us,  rendering  us  also,  in  other  respects,  the 
most  invaluable  assistance ;  and  my  friend  H.  Cowie,  who 
came  out  specially  from  England,  and  bore  a  most  im- 
portant part  in  concerting  the  measures  which  ultimately 
led  to  my  release. 

I  am  also  bound  to  acknowledge  the  kindness  of  the 
officials  at  Florence,  and  at  the  Foreign  Office  in  London, 
who  sent  telegrams  at  all  hours  to  my  friends  whenever 
there  was  news  to  communicate,  and  who  were  always 
ready  to  do  whatever  lay  in  their  power  to  assist  me ; 
and  also  the  great  kindness  of  the  prefect,  and  the  gener- 
al in  command  of  Salerno,  who  invariably  showed  every 
disposition  to  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  my  be- 
half, the  latter  being  ably  seconded  by  the  gallant  officers 
and  men  under  his  command. 

When  I  calmly  reflect  upon  the  truly  noble  and  un- 
selfish acts  that  have  been  done  in  my  behalf  by  so  many 
persons,  I  feel  inclined  to  rejoice  in  my  past  sufferings 
and  misfortunes.  Looking  back  on  them  through  the 
bright  atmosphere  of  the  sympathy  and  generosity  which 
they  have  called  forth  from  my  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, I  may  well  afford  to  treat  my  pecuniary  loss  as 
nothing  in  the  scale ;  and  thanking  God  for  his  mercy  in 
restoring  me  to  my  friends  with  a  whole  body  after  all 
the  trials  and  hardships  to  which  I  was  exposed,  I  can 
say  from  my  heart,  now  that  they  are  past, 
"Haec  olira  meminisse  juvabit." 

Croydon,  Dec,  1865. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
January  to  April. 
Palermo. — Traveling  Companions. — Lovers  of  Art. — The  Catacombs. — 
Monte  Pelegrino. — News  of  the  Eruption  of  Etna. — Domestic  Manners 
of  the  Sicilians.— The  Priests.— The  Bombardment  in  I860.— The 
Vendetta. — The  Monasteries. — The  Grand  Cemetery. — Expedition  to 
Monte  Pelegrino  and  its  Caverns. — Sicilian  Brigands. — The  Way  the 
Palermitans  manage  these  Things. — Storm  at  Sea. — The  Fishermen. — 
Victor  Emmanuel's  Government. — A  Scientific  Monk. — The  Value  of 
Sympathy. — The  Tunny  Fishery. — The  Campo  Santo. — Manner  of 
Burial. — Great  Mortality  among  Children. — More  about  Sicilian  Brig- 
andage  Page  19 

CHAPTER  H. 

April   3   to   11. 

Messina. — Italian  Hotels. — How  to  avoid  Disputes. — Shaving  at  Mes- 
sina.— The  Environs  of  the  Place. — The  Camera  taken  for  an  Infer- 
nal Machine. — The  Prison. — Taormina. — View  of  Etna  in  Eruption. 
— The  active  Craters  at  Night. — Our  Servant. — A  Wedding  at  Taor- 
mina.— A  truly  volcanic  Soil. — Linguagrossa. — The  Albergo  di  Etna. 
— First  Ascent  of  the  Mountain. — Our  Guides. — The  moving  Lava. — 
Destruction  of  the  Forests. — Inquisitiveness  of  our  Guides. — The  Brig- 
and Signs 41 

CHAPTER  III. 
April    12   to   May. 

Linguagrossa.  — Second  Ascent  of  Etna. — The  Brigand  Signs  are  made 
to  our  Guide. — The  Snow-line. — The  active  Craters. — Photography 
nnder  Difficulties. — My  first  Adventure  with  Brigands. — A  narrow 


xii  Contents. 

Escape. — We  change  our  Plans. — A  little  Disappointment  for  the 
Brigands. — Catania. — Good  Friday. — Processions  in  Southern  Italy. — 
Change  at  Naples  since  1860. — Benedictine  Monastery. — Syracuse. — 
The  old  Theatre. — The  Cathedral. — The  Catacombs. — Fruit  and 
Flowers. — Girgenti. — The  Cattiva  Gente. — Kindness  of  the  Consul. — 
Our  Hotel. — The  Excavations  in  the  Neighborhood. — Dispute  with 
onr  Host. — Unexpected  Decision  of  the  Keferee. — Italian  Officers  and 
their  Families  en  voyage , Page  53 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Diary  of  Mbs.  Moens. 

Ride  from  Salerno  to  Psestum. — Our  Escort. — The  Temples. — Forebod- 
ings.— "Many  a  true  Word  spoken  in  Jest." — Our  Escort  deserts  us. 
— The  Reason  why. — The  Brigands  at  last ! — The  Capture. — Conduct 
of  the  Italian  Troops. — The  truly  Unprotected. — The  Village  Doctor. 
— A  new  Cure  for  Fright. — Two  trying  Days  for  Wives. — Release  of 
one  of  the  Captives. — Mr.  Moens  retained  as  a  Hostage 70 

CHAPTER  V. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20. 

The  Capture. — The  first  Night's  Sleep  alfresco. — Delicate  Attentions. — 
The  Englishmen's  Fellow-prisoners. — The  Captain  commences  Busi- 
ness.— Value  of  Englishmen  in  Italy. — Choice  of  Hostage  by  Lot. — 
Release  of  Mr.  Aynsley. — Skirmish  with  the  Troops. — I  am  detached 
from  the  Band. — A  wet  Night  in  the  Mountains. — Brigand  Diet. — 
Two  more  Fellow-captives. — The  Brigands'  Dress  and  Arms. — The 
Ladies. — Sheep -killing. — Gambling. — The  Brigands'  Anxiety  about 
my  Health. — My  Friends  Pavone  and  Scope 84 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27. 

Brigands  merry-making. — The  Captain  watches  over  me  while  I  sleep. 
— His  protecting  Care. — Thoughts  of  Home. — A  Storm. — The  Ladies 
of  the  Band. — Doniella. — Carmina.  — Maria. — Antonina. — Concetta. 
— Their  Furniture. — They  think  I  am  a  Milord. — The  Government  will 
pay  for  me. — A  Night  March. — A  terrific  Climb. — Method  of  selecting 
Sentries. — Threats  of  Mutilation 114 


Contents.  xiii 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  Mat  28. 
The  second  Sunday. — Good  News  for  Visconti.— More  Letter-writing. 
— An  Attempt  at  Sketching. — The  Englishman's  Appetite. — Alarms. 
— The  Soldiers. — A  Tradimento. — Death  of  Luigi. — Thoughts  of  Es- 
caping.— The  drying  Process. — Difficulty  of  Washing. — A  wounded 
Brigandess. — Assistance  given  by  the  Peasants  to  the  Brigands. — De- 
scription of  the  Band. — A  regular  Feed  for  once  in  a  way. — Pot-luck. 
— Unpleasant  Sleeping-quarters. — Sheep-stealers Page  132 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Diary  op  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  7. 
Wood-carving. — The  wounded  Girl. — A  tantalizing  View. — Victims. — 
The  Captives  not  introduced. — A  Thunderbolt. — Rain,  Rain. — Three 
under  a  Cloak. — 111  Treatment  from  Cerino's  Band. — Their  abject 
fear  of  Death. — A  Blow  from  Cerino. — Consolation. — New  Arrivals. — 
Screwing  up. — A  Scrimmage  with  Generoso. — The  greedy  Cerino. — 
An  Installment  of  my  Ransom  arrives. — The  Proposal  to  the  Brigands 
to  leave  the  Country  in  an  English  Ship. — The  Lesson  of  the  "  Aunis." 
— What  became  of  the  10,000  francs. — Gambling. — Visconti  is  ap- 
pointed my  Agent. — Pleasant  Position  of  his  Family. — I  am  the  only 
Captive. — Quarrels. — The  Argumentum  Baculinum. — I  am  invited  to 
Gamble 151 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18. 
Return  to  Naples. — Hotel  de  Geneve. — The  Coppersmiths. — Telegrams  to 
England. — Letters  to  the  Brigand. — Milords  or  Photographers. — First 
Letter  from  the  Hostage. — A  noble  Reply  to  a  Telegram. — The  second 
Letter. — Imprisonment  of  the  Brigand's  Relatives. — Arrival  of  H.  M.S. 
"Magicienne." — Omniscience  of  the  Italian  Government. — Sunday  in 
Naples. — Our  Message  stopped. — The  Brigandess's  News. — Another 
Letter  from  the  Hostage. — A  second  Installment  prepared. — Letter  to 
the  Times. — A  Visit  from  a  supposed  Manutengulo. — I  hear  of  a  Friend 
coming  from  England. — His  Arrival 170 


xiv  Contents. 

CHAPTER  X. 
Diary  of  Mk.  Moens,  June  7  to  28. 
Thieving  Propensities  of  Cerino. — Generoso's  Conduct  worthy  of  his 
Name. — I  am  again  left  with  five  Guardians. — The  Magicienne. — A 
Three  Days'  Rest. — New  and  very  unpleasant  Companions. — Small 
Amount  of  "Washing  done  in  the  Mountains. — A  long  Rest. — Bread 
Diet. — Its  Effect. — A  Peasant  Visitor. — Wood-carving. — A  Message 
with  Letters.  —  A  second  Installment  and  warm  Clothing.  —  I  write 
again. — My  new  Treasures. — The  Luxury  of  a  Comb Page  186 

CHAPTER  XL 
Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  June  18  to  July  31. 
The  second  Installment  received. — Scheme  to  ascertain  the  Hostage's 
own  Views. — Journey  from  Salerno  to  Giflbni. — The  Fire-eating  Cor- 
poral.— Kindness  of  the  Authorities. — An  English  Letter  from  the 
Hostage. — An  Attempt  to  reduce  the  Ransom. — A  third  Installment 
sent  to  GifFoni. — The  Palazzo  Serracapriola. — Signora  Q. — Her  His- 
tory.—  Political  Persecution. — The  Questor.  —  His  Kindness. — The 
Press. — The  Rigors  of  the  Troops. — The  Neapolitan  Detective. — Re- 
sult of  the  Ladies'  secret  Scheme.  —  Life  in  Ischia.  —  The  Ven- 
detta   202 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30. 
On  the  Move  again. — Without  excess  of  Luggage. — The  depot  of  Provi- 
sions.— We  join  Cerino's  Band  again. — Effect  of  the  Arrival  of  II.  M. 
S.  Magicienne  on  the  Amount  of  the  Ransom. — A  new  Hat. — "Brig- 
ands supplied"  by  London  Hatters.  —  The  Charcoal-burners. — The 
Troops  again  in  Sight. — Sheep-stealing. — Meat  once  a  Fortnight. — 
Scope's  Treatment  of  me. — Pavone's  History. — Generoso  at  Death's 
Door. — Cold. — I  have  to  Write  more  terrible  Letters. — I  am  left  with 
Eight  or  Ten  of  the  Band. — Harsh  Treatment. — Tantalizing  View. — 
Wine  and  Rosolio. — I  become  very  111. — Andrea's  Heart  softens. — Let- 
ters from  my  Friends,  but  no  more  Mon»y. — My  Ears  in  Danger. — I 
am  made  to  Write  again. — Cerino's  Band  go  off  with  the  Letters   219 


Contents.  xv 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  Jolt  1  to  17. 
Waiting  for  an  Answer. — The  Soldiers  again. — We  Retreat — How  they 
encouraged  me  to  move  on. — A  narrow  Escape. — News  of  Giardullo's 
Capture. — How  it  was  effected. — Gambling  again. — I  lend  my  Comb. — 
Place  aux  Dames. — Orchard  Robbing. — A  Meal  of  Onions. — Pavone 
steals  my  Socks. — The  Fame  of  Crocco  and  Borjes. — Telescopes. — 
Sheep-stealing. — Another  Night  Walk. — I  write  more  Letters. — Guan- 
ge  offends  Manzo. — Manzo  enforces  Discipline. — Feeling  of  the  Band 
toward  him. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Sentonio's  Water-bottle. — Mysteri- 
ous Disappearance  of  the  Contents. — Lorenzo  physics  himself. — I  am 
threatened  by  all. — I  think  seriously  of  cutting  my  Ears  myself. — Pro- 
to  Emigrate  under  my  Leadership Page  240 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  Jdly  17  to  22. 
A  good  View  of  the  Country. — A  real  live  Wolf. — A  good  Omen. — Strik- 
ing a  Light  with  a  Percussion  Cap.  —  A  Brigand  Bivouac.  —  Cook- 
ing Scene. — The  first  Whisper  of  a  Reduction  in  the  Ransom. — Pas- 
quale's  kind  Advice  to  the  Captain. — Manzo  leaves  me  again. — Scope's 
Gun  goes  off. — I  venture  to  chaff  him. — A  fair  Challenge. — His  Re- 
venge.— Visitors  from  Giardullo's  Band. — Their  Adventures. — Manzo's 
Return. — A  Skirmish  with  the  Soldiers. — The  Band  is  divided. — Awk- 
ward Position  of  my  Party. — I  am  in  great  Danger. — Thoughts  of  Es- 
cape.— I  hesitate  to  kill  two  Sleeping  Men 260 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  22  to  31. 
My  Guardians  are  without  Money. — A  bad  Look-out. — My  Penknife  put 
to  a  new  Use. — Meat  and  Fuel,  but  no  Fire. — Necessity  is  the  Mother 
of  Invention. — The  Attack  of  the  Soldiers  explained. — Failure  when 
Success  seemed  certain. — Scarcity  of  Water. — An  Attempt  at  Bribery. 
— A  cheerless  Spot. — They  play  me  a  shabby  Trick. — Manzo  arrives 
again. — An  Abode  assigned  to  me  for  the  next  Fortnight. — Traces  of 
Giardullo's  precious  Tenancy. — An  Attempt  at  Washing. — No  Food  for 
three  Days. — A  little  raw  rancid  Fat. — A  Bone. — I  feed  in  a  decidedly 
canine  Manner. — Two  more  davs  without  Food. — I  am  at  the  last  Ex- 


xvi  Contents. 

tremity. — Great  Hardships. — Manzo  joins  us  again. — I  write  once  more 
at  his  Dictation. — Cerino's  Discomfiture Page  279 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22. 
Illness  of  Scope,  my  Bete  Noir, — Starvation  threatens  again. — Scarcity 
of  Water  again. — The  Brigands  observe  Fast-days. — Their  religious 
Feelings. — Their  Respect  for  my  Talents. — Fearful  State  to  which  I 
was  reduced. — The  Soldiers  once  more. — We  leave  the  Cave. — A  Meal 
of  Mutton  and  Potatoes. — I  am  sent  away  to  meet  Manzo. — In  sight 
of  Acerno  again. — Rigors  practiced  by  the  Troops  on  the  Peasantry. 
— Hard  Work  of  the  Women. — I  hear  that  6000  Ducats  have  been  re- 
ceived.— Prospects  of  Freedom. — Antonio's  new  Suit. — More  Gam- 
bling.— Two  Days  we  live  on  Apples. — All  the  Money  had  at  last. — 
Manzo's  Behavior. — Division  of  the  Spoil 298 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  25. 
News  from  the  Band. — A  Visit  from  Talarico. — Otium  cum  dig.  after  an 
honorable  Career. — Talarico's  Advice  to  the  Captive's  Wife.  —  His 
chivalrous  Offer. — The  five  Brigands  at  Visconti's. — The  last  Letter 
from  the  Captive. — Reduction  of  the  Brigands'  Claim. — A  gallant 
Priest — Another  Visit  to  General  Balegno. — His  Kindness. — Intense 
Excitement  when  the  Ransom  was  all  Paid. — Suspense. — Free  at  last. 
— Joy  too  deep  for  Words 313 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  Concluded:  August  24  to  26. 
The  sudden  Reduction  of  the  Ransom  accounted  for. — The  Soldiers  rath- 
er too  near. — I  am  still  in  imminent  Danger. — Manzo  goes  round  with 
the  Hat  for  me. — Parting  Civilities. — Interchange  of  Gifts. — Pasquale's 
Generosity. — Pavone  is  affectionate. — I  bid  him  a  fond  Adieu. — One 
more  Night  in  the  Woods. — Arrival  of  Tedesco,  my  Guide. — Manzo's 
Mother. — My  parting  Advice  to  Manzo. — My  elegant  Appearance. — 
Kindness  of  the  Peasants. — Crosses  on  the  Mountains. — In  sight  of 
Giffoni. — My  Reception  there. — Kindness  of  the  Visconti  Family. — 
Arrival  of  my  Wife  at  Giftbni. — We  return  together  to  Salerno....  323 


Contents.  xvii 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Reflections  on  Brigandage:  Southern  Italy. 
The  Ransom  all  paid  to  the  Band. — No  other  Persons  participate  directly. 
— The  exorbitant  Prices  charged  for  Food. — The  Peasants  the  real 
Gainers. — Manutengoli. — The  real  Causes  of  the  Success  of  Brigand- 
age.— The  Roots  to  be  eradicated. — Measures  proposed Page  339 


APPENDIX. 

A.  Notice  posted  up  in  the  Hotel  Vittoria,  Salerno Page  347 

B.  The  Dangers  of  Signor  Visconti's  position 347 

C.  Reply  from  the  Prefect  of  Salerno  to  the  Inquiry  whether  his 

Government  would  pay  any  of  the  Ransom — addressed  to  Mrs. 
Moens 348 

D.  Translation  of  Signor  Visconti's  Letter  to  Mrs.  Moens 348 

E.  Translation  of  Manzo's  Letter  to  Signor  Visconti 349 

F.  Were  the  Brigands  connected  with  Francis  II.  ? 349 

G.  A  Brigand  Song  350 

H.  Letter  from  the  Captive  to  his  Wife,  dictated  verbatim  by  Manzo  352 
I.    Letter  by  a  celebrated  Brigand  Chief  to  Manzo  in  behalf  of  the 

Captive 353 

K.  Copy  of  Manzo's  Receipt,  and  Translation 353 

L.   Names  of  Brigands  arrested,  tried,  and  shot  in  1865  in  the  Prov- 
inces of  Salerno 354 

M.  The  Names  of  the  Manutengoli  who  were  arrested  in  1865 354 

N.  Number  of  Soldiers  in  the  two  Provinces  in  March  and  April, 

1865 355 

Ditto  in  July  and  August 355 

O.  Names  of  Persons  seized  and  held  to  Ransom  in  1865  by  Manzo 

and  Giardullo,  and  Amounts  of  Ransom  demanded  and  paid...  355 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

portrait  of  the  acthor Frontispiece. 

MAP,  8HOWING  THE  AUTHOR'S  WANDERINGS  WITH  THE 

brigands to  face  Preface. 

THE   BASILICA   AND   TEMPLE   OF   NEPTUNE,  PjESTUM Page       72 

THE    CAPTURE    AT   BATTIPAGLIA 75 

GAETANO    MANZO 85 

THE    FIGHT   WITH   THE    SOLDIERS    ON   MONTE    CORVINO   92 

GIARDULLO    DI    PESTO 243 

BIVOUAC    AT   NIGHT   NEAR    CAMPAGNA   288 


ENGLISH   TRAVELERS 

AND 

ITALIAN  BRIGANDS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
January  to   April. 


Palermo. — Traveling  Companions. — Lovers  of  Art. — The  Catacombs. — 
Monte  Pelegrino. — News  of  the  Eruption  of  Etna. — Domestic  Manners 
of  the  Sicilians.— The  Priests.— The  Bombardment  in  I860.— The 
Vendetta. — The  Monasteries. — The  Grand  Cemetery. — Expedition  to 
Monte  Pelegrino  and  its  Caverns. — Sicilian  Brigands. — The  Way  the 
Palermitans  manage  these  Things. — Storm  at  Sea. — The  Fishermen. — 
Victor  Emmanuel's  Government. — A  Scientific  Monk. — The  Value  of 
Sympathy. — The  Tunny  Fisheiy. — The  Campo  Santo. — Manner  of 
Burial. — Great  Mortality  among  Children. — More  about  Sicilian  Brig- 
andage. 

Palermo,  January  15.  On  the  12th  of  January,  1865,  we 
reached  Palermo,  after  a  quick  passage  of  only  forty-eight 
hours  from  Marseilles.  The  change  from  the  fog  and  snow 
we  left  at  Paris  to  this  warm  June  weather  is  delightful.  I 
feel  my  winter  clothing  quite  oppressive,  and  my  husband 
has  discarded  his  great-coat. 

Our  voyage  was  a  very  pleasant  one ;  the  passengers  on 
board  the  steamer  were  mostly  Americans,  very  amusing 
and  sociable ;  and  the  sea  was  so  calm  and  smooth  that  we 
spent  the  greater  part  of  the  time  on  deck.  The  food  and 
accommodation  on  board  were  excellent,  though  our  last 


20  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

breakfast  of  black  pudding,  pigs'  pettitoes,  thrushes  and 
blackbirds,  was  not  very  tempting. 

I  had  long  conversations  with  some  American  ladies  from 
Philadelphia,  who  made  my  blood  boil  by  the  way  in  which 
they  spoke  of  England  and  the  English ;  they  considered 
that  a  very  few  months  would  now  decide  the  war;  tho 
Southern  rebellion  would  then  be  crushed,  and  slavery  be 
at  an  end.  The  North  was  fighting  in  a  holy  cause ;  they 
had  put  off  the  war  too  long,  and  Heaven  had  justly  pun- 
ished them  by  making  it  so  terrible  a  one,  etc.,  etc. 

On  our  way  we  steamed  past  Caprera,  a  barren-looking 
rock,  with  Garibaldi's  English  yacht  lying  at  anchor  near 
his  abode. 

The  Bay  of  Palermo  is  more  lovely  to  my  taste  than  the 
far-famed  Bay  of  Naples.  I  stood  at  the  head  of  the  vessel 
as  we  approached  the  red  and  stupendous  precipices  of 
Monte  Pelegrino,  the  city,  with  its  campanile  towers  and 
churches,  surrounded  by  its  amphitheatre  of  mountains, 
coming  slowly  in  sight  as  we  rounded  the  corner  of  the  bay. 
Mount  Etna,  though  one  hundred  miles  off,  was  plainly  visi- 
ble, its  summit  entirely  covered  with  a  glittering  robe  of 
snow. 

I  felt  unpleasantly  excited  as  the  boats  came  round  the 
vessel  to  carry  our  luggage  to  the  Dogana,  for  we  began  to 
have  serious  doubts  about  our  chance  of  obtaining  rooms  at 
the  Hotel  Trinacria  (the  best  in  the  place),  especially  when 
we  heard  that  the  Americans  had  telegraphed  from  Mar- 
seilles for  apartments. 

One  of  these  (an  old  man,  shunned  by  his  fellow-country- 
men) landed  with  us.  Both  he  and  his  old  Scotch  servant 
were  characters :  the  master  was  very  wealthy,  having  just 
amassed  a  large  fortune  at  the  oil  springs,  but  he  was  as  dir- 
ty and  shabby  as  his  servant,  and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal, 


January  to  April.  21 

and  neither  could  speak  a  word  of  any  language  but  their 
own.  Their  first  intention  on  starting  for  their  travels  had 
been  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  but,  falling  in  with  the  American 
party  on  board,  they  had  accompanied  them  to  Palermo. 
The  Scotchman  seemed  terribly  upset  by  the  change  of 
plans,  his  imagination  had  been  so  excited  by  the  idea  of 
visiting  the  Holy  Land.  I  pitied  the  poor  old  man,  who 
looked  wretchedly  thin  and  ill;  his  master  seemed  to  be- 
grudge every  penny  he  spent  on  him,  and  ordered  him  about 
as  if  he  had  been  a  boy  of  fifteen.  He  was  generally  to  be 
seen  sitting,  a  woe-begone  image  of  patience,  on  the  luggage, 
which  consisted  of  three  old  carpet  bags.  He  certainly  had 
no  greater  appreciation  of  the  fine  arts  than  his  master,  who 
was  once  overheard  telling  Robei't  to  go  into  the  Capitol  at 
Rome  to  see  if  there  were  any  thing  there  that  would  repay 
him  for  the  trouble  of  visiting  it.  He  went,  but  returned  in 
a  few  minutes,  saying,  "There's  naething  but  a  wheen  naked 
men  and  women,  sir,  and  I'm  sure  you've  seen  eneuch  o' 
them  lately;  ye  canna  want  to  see  ony  mair."  Robert's 
opinion  was  sufficient  for  his  master,  who  did  not  even  enter 
to  look  at  the  most  celebrated  statues  in  the  world. 

January  28.  My  husband's  great  amusement  is  in  finding 
out  and  wandering  over  old  churches.  To-day  I  have  been 
sitting  with  him  among  some  very  fine  cloisters,  dating  from 
the  12th  century,  which  have  lately  been  discovered.  We 
had  to  ascend  to  them  through  houses,  as  they  had  been  en- 
tirely built  up  and  concealed  by  a  high  wall ;  this  wall  hav- 
ing given  way,  the  beautiful  pillars  were  unveiled  to  view, 
and  the  cloisters  are  now  all  clear  and  open.  "We  spent 
some  hours  there,  enjoying  the  delicious  balmy  air,  which  is 
much  softer  and  warmer  than  at  Nice,  or  even  at  Mentone. 
I  had  a  loner  conversation  with  the  wife  of  the  custode  while 
W was  climbing  over  the  old  walls.     With  the  help  of 


22  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

two  meD,  who  held  a  ladder  supported  on  cnirabling  stones, 
he  took  some  very  good  pictures.  Yesterday  I  went  down 
into  the  catacombs  of  the  Capuchin  convent ;  it  was  a  sicken- 
ing, horrible  sight ;  we  passed  through  long,  narrow  rooms, 
dimly  lighted  by  windows  high  up  in  the  walls.  The  walls 
are  covered  with  shelves,  on  which  are  placed  glass  cases 
containing  the  dried  and  shrunken  forms  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  richly  arrayed  in  ball-dresses,  with  wreaths  of 
flowers  around  their  fallen  temples,  and  white  shoes  and 
gloves  on  their  shriveled  hands  and  feet.  The  bodies  of 
men,  suspended  by  the  waist,  hang  round  the  vaults ;  ghast- 
ly rows  of  priests,  in  full  canonicals,  with  their  servants  by 
their  sides.  The  inferior  station  in  life  of  the  latter  was  de- 
noted, even  after  death,  by  the  rope  round  their  necks.  I 
clung  to  my  husband's  arm  as  we  walked  slowly  through 
the  ghastly  place,  startling  the  cats,  which  rushed  from  un- 
der the  shelves  in  every  direction  as  we  approached. 

What  a  sermon  this  scene  silently  preached  to  us !  Can 
we  believe  that,  in  a  few  short  years,  we  may  present  as  re- 
volting an  appearance  as  these  horrible  grinning  figures  ? 
The  picture  is  too  terrible  to  dwell  upon.  It  is,  indeed,  in 
mercy  and  in  wisdom  that  Scripture  says,  "  Bury  thy  dead 
out  of  thy  sight,"  consoling  us,  at  the  same  time,  with  the 
assurance  that  "the  spirit  shall  return  to  God  who  gave  it." 

W is  never  weary  of  his  photography ;  all  our  fellow- 
travelers  envy  him  this  amusement.  I  sometimes  pity  them 
as  I  see  them  lounging  idly  about,  while  time  passes  only 
too  quickly  with  us. 

January  29.  To-day,  being  Sunday,  we  were  present  at 
the  English  service,  held  in  a  large  room  at  the  consul's. 
The  congregation  numbered  about  one  hundred.  After 
church  we  walked  in  the  botanical  gardens,  which  are  very 
lovely  with  their  palm-trees  and  other  tropical  vegetation. 


January  to  April.  23 

We  sat  and  looked  at  the  blue  mountains  towering  in  the 
distance. 

A  day  or  two  ago  we  had  a  delightful  expedition  up 
Mount  Pelegrino,  to  see  a  large  natural  cavern  in  the  lime- 
stone rock:  at  the  end  of  the  cavern,  in  the  darkest  corner, 
stands  an  altar,  under  which,  inclosed  within  a  gilded  grat- 
ing, is  the  marble  figure  of  St.  Rosalie,  represented  as  a  love- 
ly girl  of  fifteen,  in  a  dress  of  solid  gold,  ornamented  with 
precious  stones.  It  was  a  striking  scene — the  dark  damp 
grotto,  the  water  slowly  trickling  from  the  roof,  and  the 
overhanging  ferns,  forming  a  contrast  to  the  marble  statue 
with  its  glittering  ornaments,  protected  from  spoliation  by 
the  veneration  of  the  people.  Once  a  year  there  is  a  grand 
procession  of  all  Palermo  to  this  shrine,  St.  Rosalie  being 
the  patron  saint  of  the  city. 

January  30.  We  have  just  heard  that  an  eruption  of 
Mount  Etna  has  broken  out.  A  crater  has  opened  at  the 
north  of  the  Val  del  JBove,  in  the  district  called  Concazze, 
and  the  lava  is  steadily  creeping  down  the  declivity,  de- 
stroying trees  and  vineyards.  Etna  is  almost  entirely  cov- 
ered with  snow. 

February  12.  The  Hotel  Trinacria  is  most  comfortable, 
and  the  landlord,  Ragusa,  very  attentive.  He  is  most  par- 
ticular about  the  people  whom  he  admits  to  his  table  d'hote. 
One  Sicilian  was  turned  away  because,  to  my  great  disgust, 
he  expectorated  incessantly  while  sitting  opposite  to  me  at 
table.  This  filthy  habit  is  common  to  all  ranks  in  the  isl- 
and, from  the  nobleman  to  the  lazaroni.  An  English  friend 
of  ours  had  basins  placed  all  round  her  room,  with  this  in- 
scription, "  Qui  si  sputa."  The  Sicilians  and  English  asso- 
ciate very  little  together.  The  latter  complain  that  the  for- 
mer are  such  a  narrow-minded  set ;  they  think  there  is  no 
place  in  the  world  like  Sicily,  and  no  people  to  be  compared 


24  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  the  Sicilians.  The  English  colony  at  Palermo  is  com- 
posed of  bankers,  merchants,  and  exporters  of  Marsala  wine. 
They  are  very  amiable  and  hospitable,  and  some  of  them  im- 
mensely wealthy. 

The  English  clergyman  called  on  us  yesterday,  and  told 
us  a  great  deal  about  the  priests ;  some  of  them,  whom  he 
knew  very  intimately,  were  highly  educated  men,  who  had 
traveled  a  great  deal,  but  were  still  most  contracted  in  their 
ideas.  He  told  me  it  was  difficult  to  argue  with  them,  as 
their  education  from  childhood  ran  entirely  in  one  groove, 
certainly  not  the  Baconian  one.  They  start  from  the  old 
axioms  of  the  fathers — every  idea  that  runs  counter  to  theirs 
must  be  wrong.  A  boy  destined  for  the  priesthood  is  placed 
in  a  seminary  while  still  almost  an  infant,  and  taught  to  view 
every  thing  through  the  one-sided  medium  of  a  strictly  the- 
ological education.  I  wish  the  Church  of  England  would 
open  a  school  here.  It  would  be  permitted  by  the  Italian 
government.  Why  should  we  be  behind  the  Scotch  and 
the  French,  who  are  working  away  hard  in  the  cause  of  ed- 
ucation ? 

We  visited  the  museum  the  other  day,  and  saw  some 
beautiful  metopes,  carved  stones  from  the  tops  of  temples 
built  five  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  our  Savior. 
There  was  a  lovely  statue,  too,  of  Hercules  as  a  young  boy. 
We  then  went  over  the  Observatory,  where  there  is,  among 
others,  a  magnificent  telescope  just  arrived  from  Berlin. 
Two  astronomers  were  hard  at  work.  It  must  be  a  labor 
of  love  to  watch  the  brilliant  stars  in  the  deep  blue  Sicilian 
sky! 

January  is  considered  the  best  spring  month  here;  the 
thermometer  in  our  room  is  at  60° ;  and  we  called  yester- 
day on  a  lady  who  picked  for  me  in  her  garden  a  lovely 
bouquet  of  roses,  carnations,  and  heliotropes. 


January  to  April.  25 

The  Marina,  the  fashionable  promenade  of  Palermo,  about 
half  a  mile  long,  is  crowded  every  afternoon  with  gay  equi- 
pages. The  Italians  outvie  one  another  in  the  gaudiness 
and  bad  taste  of  their  carriages.  I  often  think  it  a  pity  that 
the  lord-mayor's  and  the  sheriffs'  state  carriages,  or  that  of 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  can  not  appear  here. 
They  certainly  would  be  looked  upon  with  envy,  and  create 
a  very  great  sensation.  My  English  friends  tell  me  that 
many  of  the  owners  of  these  gay  carriages  have  not  a  decent 
room  to  receive  a  friend  in,  and  that  some  of  the  splendidly- 
dressed  ladies  would  be  sadly  embarrassed  were  a  visitor  to 
call  upon  them  in  the  morning,  as  neither  they  nor  their 
houses  are  then  fit  to  be  seen.  No  one  dare  venture  beyond 
the  gates  of  the  city  for  fear  of  the  brigands,  so  their  drive 
is  a  very  limited  one — about  two  miles  and  a  half  up  and 
down  the  town  and  the  Marina.  It  gives  me  a  fit  of  ennui 
to  look  at  the  paraders,  who  seem  to  sacrifice  every,  thing 
for  the  sake  of  a  little  display  in  public. 

I  scarcely  wonder  at  an  earnest-minded  man,  or  woman 
either,  retiring  in  disgust  from  the  hollow  worldliness  of 
such  society,  and  seeking  a  refuge  in  some  religious  house ; 
though,  perhaps  too  often,  alas !  destined  to  find  more  hol- 
lowness  there  than  they  leave  behind  in  the  world  which 
wearies  them. 

One  thing  often  astonishes  me — why  the  inhabitants  suf- 
fer themselves  to  be  prisoners  in  their  town.  Why  do  they 
not  spend  some  of  their  surperfluous  time  and  money  in 
clearing  their  environs  from  the  brigands  who  infest  them  ?* 

We  spent  an  evening  with  the  English  consul.  He  was 
most  kind  and  hospitable,  and  we  thoroughly  enjoyed  his 
English  tea  and  his  English  fireplace.     He  told  us  some  in- 

*  When  I  wrote  this,  I  little  thought  how  deeply  interested  I  was  fate<l 
to  become  in  the  subject  of  brigands. 

B 


26  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

teresting  stories  of  the  siege  of  Palermo,  by  Garibaldi,  in 
1860.  He  was  the  only  Englishman  who  remained  in  the 
town  during  the  bombardment. 

He  one  day  received  letters  from  two  abbesses,  begging 
him  to  come  and  see  the  mischief  that  had  been  done  to 
their  convents  by  the  shells  and  shot  during  the  storming 
of  the  town,  that  he  might  report  it  to  the  Queen  of  En- 
gland, and  ask  her  for  redress.  The  consul  was  delighted 
at  the  invitation,  as  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
interior  of  the  convents. 

The  religious  houses  occupy  the  best  situations  in  the 
town,  and  it  will  be  the  greatest  possible  beuefit  to  Palermo 
when  they  are  all  suppressed,  as  they  infallibly  will  be  some 
day.  There  are  10,000  monks  and  nuns  in  Palermo !  There 
is  a  great  want  of  good  houses  in  the  place,  and  I  am  not 
the  least  surprised  at  cholera  breaking  out  among  the  over- 
crowded, ill-ventilated  habitations.  I  was  horrified  to  see 
the  places  where  the  children  grow  up;  the  streets  are 
high  and  narrow,  and  there  are  neither  back  windows  nor 
doors  to  the  houses,  ventilation  being  entirely  disregarded. 
Among  the  deaths  in  the  obituary,  half  are  those  of  chil- 
dren ;  and  poor  people  will  generally  tell  you  that  they  have 
lost  five  or  six  children  by  fever.  The  shopkeepers  pass 
their  time  lounging  at  their  shop  doors,  scarcely  caring  to 
serve  a  customer,  and  not  taking  the  trouble  to  bring  him 
different  articles  for  selection.  You  must  point  to  the 
shelves  for  what  you  want,  and  then  they  hesitate  about 
taking  down  the  article. 

February  26.  The  weather  for  the  last  month  has  been 
wet  and  stormy — for  one  week  it  rained  incessantly;  yes- 
terday was  clear  and  bright,  and  we  walked  five  miles  off 
toward  Bagaria,  to  a  cliff  to  gather  fossil  shells.  We  quite 
enjoyed  being  able  to  leave  the  hotel.     Our  Italian  lessons, 


January  to  April.  27 

which  we  have  been  taking  three  times  a  week,  are  a  great 
resource  to  us ;  but  we  find  it  very  difficult  to  understand 
the  Sicilian  dialect,  which  is  a  mixture  of  Arabic,  French, 
Spanish,  and  Italian.  All  the  Italian  o's  are  turned  into  u's, 
and  the  first  or  last  half  of  the  word  is  clipped  according  to 
the  fancy  of  the  speaker. 

Our  Italian  master  described  to  us  a  scene  he  had  wit- 
nessed yesterday,  which  strongly  illustrates  the  Italian  char- 
acter. He  was  in  a  church,  where  lay  on  a  bier  the  body 
of  a  murdered  man ;  the  widow  was  kneeling  by  its  side, 
with  her  little  child  of  three  years  old  in  her  arms.  After  a 
burst  of  frantic  weeping  she  joined  the  child's  hands  togeth- 
er, and  made  him  repeat  after  her  a  solemn  oath  to  the  ef- 
fect that  when  he  grew  up  he  would  take  deadly  vengeance 
on  the  murderer's  nearest  relative.  She  ended  by  a  solemn 
and  fearful  curse  on  the  child  should  he  fail  to  keep  the  vow 
he  had  taken  over  the  dead  body  of  his  father.  It  is  this 
spirit  of  revenge  which  makes  it  difficult  to  bring  a  male- 
factor to  justice ;  no  one  will  assist  in  convicting  him  for 
fear  of  the  punishment  that  so  doing  might  entail  on  the  in- 
former or  his  nearest  relatives.* 

March  13.  We  are  beginning  to  prepare  for  the  giro ; 
two  or  three  parties  have  already  started,  who  will  prepare 
the  way  for  us.  The  party  at  the  table  d'hote  diminishes 
daily.  We  have  had  travelers  from  all  parts  of  the  world ; 
last  week  some  Brazilians  arrived,  who  assured  us  that  there 
is  no  scenery  to  be  compared  to  that  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
Yesterday  a  Canadian  sat  by  me  at  dinner,  and  told  me  that 
he  was  mortified  at  finding  that  the  English  knew  so  little 
of  his  country.  One  English  lady  had  actually  asked  him 
if  the  Mississippi  did  not  run  through  Canada!     He  will  go 

*  For  instances  of  the  length  to  which  the  vendetta  is  carried  in  the 
Mediterranean,  Murray's  Corsica  may  be  consulted. 


28  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

back  and  declare  that  Englishwomen  are  so  ignorant — a 
contrary  opinion  to  that  entertained  by  Italians,  who  have, 
generally  speaking,  a  high  respect  for  our  countrywomen, 
on  account  of  their  superior  education. 

March  16.  How  interesting  to  observe  the  wonderful  di- 
versity of  opinions  on  religious  matters !  One  lady  told  me 
not  long  ago  that  Rome  was  a  sink  of  iniquity — a  collection 
of  whited  sepulchres;  and  yesterday  another,  who  has  join- 
ed the  Church  of  Rome,  gave  me  as  a  reason  for  her  conver- 
sion that  she  had  seen  Rome,  and  that  was  enough,  for  it 
was  impossible  to  resist  the  influence  of  a  place  so  calm,  so 
holy,  so  full  of  prayer ! 

Yesterday  we  sailed  across  the  bay  to  see  the  stratum  of 
fossil  shells  in  the  face  of  the  cliffs  exposed  to  the  wearing 
of  the  sea;  we  collected  numbers  of  them  of  different  kinds. 
We  then  walked  to  an  old  monastery,  but  the  monks  would 
not  admit  me,  though  I  said  to  them  in  "  what  I  am  pleased 
to  think"  my  best  manner, "  Non  posso  far  male."  They 
were  very  polite,  however,  and  brought  me  a  present  of  cit- 
rons and  limes.  Many  rich  Sicilians  are  buried  in  large  pits 
here,  into  which  the  body  is  lowered  by  the  monks ;  quick- 
lime is  thrown  over  it,  and  in  two  or  three  days  it  is  con- 
sumed. I  read  the  inscriptions  of  many  monumental  tab- 
lets, but  not  one  contained  a  text  from  Scripture.  How 
thick  a  darkness  broods  over  the  Roman  religion,  as  profess- 
ed by  the  lower  orders  in  Southern  Italy  and  Sicily,  owing 
to  the  Bible — the  true  source  of  light — being  so  carefully 
kept  from  them  by  the  priests !  The  grand  burying-place 
of  noble  Sicilian  ladies  is  within  the  walls  of  a  nunnery  in 
the  town.  The  corpse  is  conveyed  thither  and  given  into 
the  hands  of  the  nuns,  who  dress  it  in  the  habit  of  their  or- 
der, and  then  place  it  in  their  church,  where  it  can  be  seen 
for  some  hours  through  the  windows.     It  is  then  buried  in 


January  to  April.  29 

the  ground  attached  to  the  convent,  to  which  no  one  is  ever 
admitted.  A  Sicilian  friend  of  ours  told  us  that  he  had  lost 
his  mother  two  months  ago.  He  and  his  brother,  though 
poor,  determined  to  show  her  every  respect,  and  collected  a 
sufficient  sum  to  bury  her  in  this  place.  We  had  a  very  in- 
teresting conversation  with  this  gentleman  on  religious  mat- 
ters ;  he  spoke  very  bitterly  of  the  priests.  We  sent  him 
our  Prayer-book  to  read — he  returned  it  with  many  expres- 
sions of  admiration  at  the  simple  and  "  soothing"  beauty  of 
our  services. 

March  18.  We  have  settled  to  make  the  giro  of  the  island 
in  about  ten  days.  We  hear  a  great  deal  of  brigands,  and 
are  told  that  all  the  peasants  carry  guns,  and  the  country 
round  Palermo  is  in  a  most  unsettled  state;  but  Ragusa 
and  the  English  consul  assure  us  that  we  can  go  with  per- 
fect safety,  as  four  ladies,  unaccompanied  by  a  gentleman, 
have  just  performed  the  tour.  Before  taking  the  grand 
tour,  we  intend  making  a  small  one  round  Monte  Pelegrino. 

March  20.  Yesterday  was  beautifully  fine.  We  stepped 
on  to  our  balcony,  saw  that  Monte  Pelegrino  stood  out 
clearly  against  the  blue  sky,  and  made  up  our  minds  to  start 
on  an  expedition  at  half  past  ten  o'clock.  I  descended  to 
the  door  of  the  hotel  minus  crinoline,  expecting  to  mount  a 
donkey  there,  but  I  found  it  was  not  considered  comme  il 
faut  to  ride  through  the  town,  so  we  had  half  an  hour's 
row  to  the  other  side  of  the  bay,  where  the  animals  were 
waiting  for  us.  To  reach  Monte  Pelegrino,  which  presents 
to  the  sea  a  bare  precipitous  face  about  2000  feet  high,  we 
had  to  cross  first  a  carriage-road,  and  then  some  fields, 
thickly  planted  with  beautiful  trees.  The  lowest  slopes  of 
the  mountain  are  covered  with  spurge — there  a  full  low 
shrab  of  a  lovely  green — and  cacti  with  stems  as  thick  as 
those  of  our  fruit-trees.    The  road  ends  close  by  the  English 


30  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

cemetery.  There  is  then  only  a  rough  bridle-path,  and  the 
mountain  seems  advancing  into  the  sea.  All  is  rugged  and 
wild — no  trees,  no  shrubs,  nothing  but  masses  of  bare  rock. 
As  might  be  expected,  I  was  nervous  about  brigands,  and 
my  heart  bounded  when  I  saw  some  men  with  guns  ad- 
vancing to  us.  However,  they  were  only  inoffensive  spoils- 
men, and  I  could  concentrate  all  my  attention  again  on  my 
donkey,  which  stumbled  at  every  step.  "We  soon  rounded 
the  point,  and  a  lovely  bay  was  spread  out  before  us,  with 
high  mountains  in  the  distance,  and  a  smooth  turf  beneath 
us.  We  by-and-by  came  to  a  large  flock  of  sheep  and  goats, 
and  the  fierce  dogs  guarding  them  rushed  out  upon  us. 

The  view  here  was  exquisite,  but  I  could  not  stay  to  en- 
joy it,  for  we  saw  perched  high  up  on  the  side  of  the  preci- 
pice the  cave  which  was  the  principal  object  of  our  expedi- 
tion. "We  dismounted,  and  began  climbing  the  side  of  the 
mountain.     It  was  hard  work,  as  the  ground  was  covered 

with  large,  loose  stones,  overgrown  by  creepers.    W 

wanted  first  to  examine  a  lower  cave,  but  as  we  approached 
it  a  huge  dog  sprang  out  at  the  entrance,  and  growled 
fiercely  at  us.  I  steadily  refused  to  face  the  enemy,  and, 
after  a  little  dispute,  of  course  had  my  own  way,  and  recom- 
menced climbing  vigorously,  holding  on  tight  to  the  end  of 

W 's  umbrella.     We  heard  some  one  calling  loudly  to 

us,  but  could  not  understand  what  was  said.  A  tall,  hand- 
some man,  clothed  in  sheepskin,  with  the  wool  outside,  soon 
joined  us,  and  offered  to  lead  us  to  the  cave  by  an  easier 
path.  We  soon  reached  it,  and  were  well  repaid  for  our 
exertions.  The  arch  of  the  cave  was  an  enormous  span 
of  I  know  not  how  many  feet,  and  about  800  feet  high. 
Through  a  small  opening  at  the  top  we  could  see  the  clear 
blue  sky,  with  two  large  eagles  floating  in  it.  Great  stalac- 
tites were  hanging  from  the  roof,  and  the  sides  of  the  cave 


January  to  April.  31 

were  tapestried  with  beautiful  creepers  and  light  green 
spurge.  The  blue  sea  was  spread  before  us,  and  it  was  long 
before  I  could  think  of  any  thing  but  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  on  which  I  was  feasting  my  eyes. 

I  was  startled  by  the  sudden  apparition  of  another  man 
with  a  gun.  Our  guide,  divining  my  thoughts,  introduced 
him  as  "only  my  companion."  We  sat  down  to  eat  the 
few  biscuits  we  had  brought  with  us.  This  seemed  to  ex- 
cite the  compassion  of  our  guides,  for  they  immediately 
offered  to  lead  us  to  their  cave,  which  they  did  with  tender 
care,  breaking  down  all  the  creepei's  in  my  path,  and  mak- 
ing the  way  as  smooth  for  me  as  possible.  They  placed 
rough  seats  for  us,  covered  with  their  cloaks,  and,  spread- 
ing a  pocket-handkerchief  as  a  table-cloth,  laid  out  upon  it 
a  loaf  of  bread  and  a  kind  of  scalded  cream  called  racotta. 
They  entreated  us  to  eat,  and  we  sat  by  the  fire  enjoying 
the  scene,  surrounded  by  the  four  dogs  and  two  men,  who 
talked  very  readily  to  us.    They  remarked  with  wonder  my 

complexion  and  W 's  as  being  so  very  different  from 

their  own.  They  told  us  they  were  shepherds,  and  this 
cave  was  their  home.  At  last,  with  great  regret,  we  left 
them,  thanking  them  for  their  hospitality,  and  leaving  the 
money,  which  they  refused  to  take  from  us,  on  their  pails. 
We  then  returned  to  our  donkeys,  and,  riding  through  La 
Favorita  (the  king's  gardens),  reached  our  hotel  about  five 
o'clock.  We  brought  away  with  us  a  few  fossil  teeth  and 
small  bones  with  which  these  caves  abound.  W em- 
ployed two  men  a  few  days  ago  to  dig  up  an  enormous 
shoulder-blade  for  him,  but  it  broke  and  cut  his  finger  bad- 
ly. The  cut  has  since  festered,  which  has  damped  his  ardor 
in  collecting  fossil  bones. 

March.  My  fears  were  not  unfounded.  The  day  after 
our  expedition,  on  the  very  road  we  had  traversed  with 


32  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

such  pleasure  and  security,  a  Sicilian  gentleman,  driving 
with  a  friend,  was  carried  off  by  brigands.  He  was  quite 
close  to  the  town,  wrhen  a  break  with  two  horses  drove 
swiftly  past  him,  turned  sharply  round,  and  drew  up  right 
across  the  road,  stopping  his  carriage.  Eight  men  with 
guns  jumped  from  the  break,  surrounded  the  carriage,  and 
carried  off  the  Cavaliere  Guccia,  telling  the  friend,  whom 
they  mistook  for  a  servant,  to  return  to  Palermo  and  pro- 
cure a  certain  sum  for  his  master's  ransom.  The  papers 
took  scarcely  any  notice  of  this  affair.  They  merely  men- 
tioned that  Signor  Guccia  was  sequestered  by  malfattori. 
He  was  liberated  in  a  few  days,  either  by  payment  of  the 
ransom  or  through  the  interest  of  some  rich  proprietor  said 
to  have  power  over  the  band.  I  made  many  inquiries,  but 
the  whole  affair  was  soon  hushed  up,  and  I  could  obtain  but 
little  information. 

The  indifference  displayed  rather  shocked  our  English 
notions.  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  storm  of  indigna- 
tion that  would  be  excited  in  England  were  any  gentleman 
in  North  Devon  or  Wales,  or  even  in  Ireland,  to  be  uncere- 
moniously separated  from  his  family,  and  forced  to  pay  half, 
or  perhaps  all  his  fortune,  to  be  restored  to  them.  These 
atrocious  affairs  seem  to  be  matters  of  every-day  occurrence 
here.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago  another  case  occurred  (not 
mentioned  by  the  newspapers),  in  which  I  was  so  much  in- 
terested that  I  used  to  go  almost  daily  to  the  consul's  to 
hear  if  the  poor  man  had  regained  his  liberty.  A  Signor 
Salemi,  returning  from  Monte  Maggiore,  near  Bagaria,  had 
gone  two  or  three  miles,  attended  by  two  bordcnari  in  front, 
and  his  own  armed  servant  behind,  all  on  horseback.  They 
were  stopped  by  twenty  armed  horsemen.  The  two  bordc- 
nari were  allowed  to  escape,  but  Salemi  and  his  man  were 
blindfolded  and  taken  half  an  hour's  march  into  the  country. 


January  to  April.  33 

The  man  was  then  sent  back  with  a  message  that  1500 
ounces,  or  £750,  were  required  by  the  band.  Madame  Sa- 
lemi  the  next  day  collected  half  the  amount,  which  was  re- 
turned to  her  with  a  message  that  it  was  not  sufficient.  In 
a  fortnight  the  required  sum  was  procured.  It  was  re- 
ceived, counted  over,  and  a  receipt  sent  back  by  the  brig- 
ands. The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  Signor  Salemi  was 
placed  in  the  middle  of  a  field,  blindfolded,  and  commanded 
not  to  remove  the  bandage  until  a  signal  was  given.  When 
he  took  it  off  he  did  not  know  where  he  was ;  but,  seeing  a 
cottage  at  a  distance,  he  went  to  it  and  roused  the  inmates. 
They  gave  him  food  and  a  bed,  and  in  the  afternoon  he  was 
taken  to  Monte  Maggiore.  He  was  so  weak  that  he  could 
hardly  stand,  as  they  had  given  him  nothing  to  eat  but 
bread,  herbs,  and  water.  He  had  lived  entirely  in  the  open 
air,  and  was  kept  blindfolded  the  whole  time.* 

We  have  had  several  thunder-storms;  and  sometimes  I 
get  nervous  about  earthquakes,  for  Monte  Cuccio,  the  high- 
est mountain  here,  is  an  extinct  volcano.  At  times  rum- 
blings and  groans  are  heard,  making  one  feel  that  it  may 
break  out  at  any  moment.  Yesterday  there  was  a  change 
in  the  appearance  of  the  sky ;  a  mist  hung  over  the  sea, 
gray  as  the  heavens,  but  all  was  still  and  calm  when  the 

*  During  the  six  months  from  January  to  June,  several  other  gentle- 
men have  been  taken  in  the  neighborhood  of  Palermo,  and  among  them 
Signor  Bergami,  a  most  respected  corn-broker,  and  a  good  friend  to  all 
the  peasants,  who  was  taken  four  miles  from  Palermo.  When  the  brig' 
ands  surrounded  him  Bergami  drew  his  revolver,  which  missed  fire,  but 
at  the  same  instant  one  of  the  thieves  thrust  at  him  with  a  dagger,  wound- 
ing him  in  two  places.  That  was  the  extent  of  the  mischief  done  in  hi? 
case,  for  the  police  turned  up  at  this  moment,  causing  the  thieves  to  run 
away.  Scarcely  a  week  passed  without  a  fresh  instance,  but  not  one 
fourth  of  the  cases  are  ever  heard  of.  It  is  only  when  a  man  of  note  is 
taken  that  any  fuss  is  made. — W.  I.  C.  M. 

R2 


34  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

fishing-boats  went  out  as  usual  in  the  afternoon.  We  were 
walking  down  the  street,  when  there  came  on  such  a  gale 
that  we  were  forced  to  rush  home  immediately.  We  saw 
from  our  windows  a  most  exciting  scene :  the  sea  was  cov- 
ered with  enormous  waves ;  all  the  little  vessels  were  try- 
ing to  come  into  the  harbor ;  it  seemed  impossible  for  them 
to  live  in  such  a  storm.  The  poor  fishers'  wives  and  chil- 
dren assembled  on  the  beach,  watching  with  fearful  anxiety 
each  tiny  little  bark.  I  was  thankful  when  they  one  by  one 
got  into  port,  and  the  poor  women  went  home  rejoicing 
over  the  safety  of  their  husbands  and  sons.  A  French  Ad- 
miral P'itzroy  had  written  to  warn  the  fishermen  of  this 
coming  Levanter,  as  these  sudden  storms  are  called,  but 
they,  too,  like  many  of  our  own  maritime  and  fishing  popu- 
lation, are  so  self-willed  that  they  gave  no  heed  to  the  warn- 
ing, and  the  storm  found  them  unprepared. 

It  was  the  king's  birthday  a  day  or  two  ago  ;  flags  were 
hung  out,  but  there  was  a  very  poor  illumination.  It  is  no 
great  wonder  if  his  government  be  not  popular  among  the 
poor,  as  so  many  new  taxes  have  been  levied,  and  the  young 
men  are  taken  away  for  two  years  to  serve  in  the  army, 
though  the  last  arrangement  is  greatly  to  their  advantage, 
for  they  are  kindly  treated,  taught  to  read  and  write,  and  to 
hold  themselves  erect.  They  see,  too,  a  little  of  the  world 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  own  town  and  village,  and 
return  to  their  homes,  at  all  events,  with  less  contracted  no- 
tions than  when  they  left  them. 

March  30.  The  storm  has  changed  the  weather;  it  is 
lovely  to-day,  and  very  hot.  The  thermometer  is  at  70°  in 
my  room.  My  husband  has  been  out  all  day  at  Monreale,  a 
beautiful  old  monastery,  built  in  the  year  1182  by  William 
of  Sicily,  and  Joanna,  sister  to  our  Richard  Cceur-de-Lion. 
ITc  has  been  taking  photographs  of  the  cloisters.     I  did  not 


January  to  April.  35 

go  with  him,  as  no  •women  are  allowed  to  pass  the  gates  of 
the  monastery.  The  monks,  of  the  Benedictine  order,  all 
belong  to  noble  families.  They  lead  any  thing  but  a  seclu- 
ded life,  as  they  keep  carriages  in  which  they  drive  about 
Palermo,  and  they  take  in  all  the  newspapers,  etc.     They 

invited  W to  dinner.     The  wine,  grown  in  their  own 

vineyards,  was,  like  the  other  constituents  of  the  dinner,  ex- 
cellent. One  monk,  a  very  handsome,  intellectual  man,  be- 
came a  great  friend  of  my  husband's.  One  day  I  went  up 
to  Monreale,  where  I  was  introduced  to  him.  "We  had  a 
long  conversation  together,  in  the  course  of  which  he  told 
me  he  never  regretted  becoming  a  monk.  I  asked  him  if 
he  ever  suffered  from  ennui.  "  No,  never.  I  am  constant- 
ly occupied  when  not  engaged  in  the  offices  of  religion.  I 
employ  my  time  in  constructing  a  steam-engine,  a  machine 
to  fly  through  the  air,  etc. ;  but  this  is  a  great  secret,  for  not 
one  of  my  brother  monks  knows  of  it."  Happy  man !  to 
be  so  contented.  I  often  think,  with  Goethe,  that  the  hap- 
piest man  is  the  cobbler,  who  sings  at  his  work. 

A  titled  English  lady  is  working  hard  here,  doing  all  the 
good  she  can,  and  trying  to  persuade  the  Sicilian  ladies  to 
visit  their  poor  sisters,  who  have  to  struggle  with  poverty, 
sickness,  and,  too  often  also,  with  unkind  and  cruel  husbands, 
and  ungrateful  children.  Oh,  if  women  only  knew  how  oft- 
en, by  a  gentle  word  of  sympathy,  a  disheartened,  broken 
spirit  might  be  soothed,  an  embittered,  overburdened  heart 
softened,  nay,  even  a  soul  rescued  from  despair,  and  strength- 
ened to  struggle  again  with  renewed  vigor  in  the  hard  bat- 
tle of  life!  Hundreds  in  this  world  hunger  and  thirst  after 
this  little  help,  which  could  be  afforded  them  with  ea-=o  if 
women  would  but  feel 

1 '  A  sense  of  an  earnest  will 
To  help  the  lowly  living, 


36  English  Travelers  anM  Italian  Brigands. 

And  a  terrible  heart-thrill 

If  you  have  no  power  of  giving ; 

An  arm  of  aid  to  the  weak, 
A  friendly  hand  to  the  friendless, 

Kind  words,  so  short  to  speak, 
But  whose  echo  is  endless" — 

noble  words,  in  which  rings  an  echo  of  the  feeling  that  in- 
spired the  Preacher  when  he  told  the  whole  world  that 
"  Heaviness  in  the  heart  of  man  raaketh  it  stoop,  but  a  good 
word  maketh  it  glad." 

March  31.  Palermo  is  like  an  Oriental  town.  The  shops 
are  open  and  without  windows,  and  you  may  see  the  tailors, 
shoemakers,  tinmen,  etc.,  plying  their  several  crafts  almost  in 
the  open  air.  For  nearly  a  month  they  have  been  selling 
strawberries,  green  peas,  etc.,  in  the  streets.  The  climate 
far  surpasses  my  expectations ;  it  is  exquisite,  and  so  is  the 
scenery.  The  only  drawback  is  the  difficulty  of  getting  into 
the  country,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  trouble  the  inhabit- 
ants. No  one,  not  even  the  cobbler's  wife,  walks.  The 
great  amusement  of  all  is  to  be  driven  slowly  up  and  down 
the  town,  which  can  be  done  for  fivepence.  They  are  all  as- 
tonished at  our  English  love  of  exercise.  We  started  the 
other  day  to  walk  round  Monte  Pelegrino,  but  got  caught 
in  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  at  the  little  fishing  village  of  Vir- 
gine  Maria.  The  peasants  asked  us  into  a  cottage  about 
twelve  feet  wide,  and  very  long,  half  filled  with  the  tunny 
nets  they  were  making  and  preparing  for  the  arrival  of  the 
tunny  fish  in  April. 

The  large  nets  are  made  of  grass  spun  into  the  thickest 
string,  which  they  net  without  needle  or  mesh,  simply  twist- 
ing it  round  their  fingers.  The  nets,  when  set,  extend  for 
nearly  a  mile — sometimes  farther.  The  tunny  fish,  which  is 
a  perfect  monster  of  the  deep,  something  like  the  porpoise 


January  to  April.  SI 

in  shape,  and  from  fonr  to  eight  feet  long,  is  driven  from 
chamber  to  chamber  in  the  nets  till  it  enters  the  corpo,  or 
chamber  of  death.  When  the  captives  are  all  collected 
there,  the  work  of  death  commences ;  all  the  boats  of  the 
fishermen  for  miles  round,  with  much  formality  at  first,  but 
soon  in  indescribable  confusion,  surround  the  fish  and  slaugh- 
ter them  by  hundreds  with  their  spears,  till  fish,  boats,  and 
men  are  all  half  smothered  with  blood.  We  were  told  that 
it  was  one  of  the  most  horrid  spectacles  that  could  be  wit- 
nessed. 

On  our  way  home  we  passed  the  Campo  Santo,  or  com- 
mon burial-place  of  the  town.  There  is  a  sufficient  number 
of  vaults  to  allow  of  one  being  opened  every  other  day. 
The  dead,  to  the  number  of  twenty  or  thirty  (in  a  town  of 
200,000  inhabitants),  are  collected  every  day,  and  at  twenty- 
two  o'clock,  or  two  hours  before  sunset,  they  are  thrown  in ; 
quick-lime  is  scattered  over  them,  and  the  vault  sealed  up 
till  its  turn  comes  round  again  in  a  year.  We  met  several 
bodies  being  carried  on  the  way  to  their  long  home.  The 
coffins  are  not  shaped  like  ours,  but  are  simply  oblong  boxes, 
sometimes  black,  but  generally  red  and  green,  with  colored 
effigies  of  saints  painted  on  them. 

Half  the  deaths  are  among  very  young  children.  You 
may  constantly  see  a  man  walking  along  very  quickly  with 
a  small  red  oblong  box  slung  behind  his  shoulders  by  a  piece 
of  cord ;  he  reaches  the  dead-house,  puts  the  box  down  out- 
side the  door,  opens  the  lid,  and  takes  the  body  carelessly 
out.  If  it  has  clothing  on  worth  any  thing,  the  attendant 
harpies  seize  it  as  their  spoil,  and  then  throw  the  corpse  on 
the  ground,  while  the  box  is  carried  back  by  the  man  who 
brought  it.  We  saw  one  body  being  carried  in  a  black  se- 
dan-chair by  two  men,  who,  before  going  up  a  little  hill,  left 
the  body  in  the  middle  of  the  road  while  they  went  into  a 


38  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

wine-shop  to  drink.  After  the  dead  are  taken  from  their 
homes,  the  relatives  never  see  them ;  there  is  no  service 
read  over  them ;  the  priest  simply  sprinkles  the  bodies  with 
holy  water  before  they  are  flung  down  a  hole  two  feet  square 
into  the  vault  beneath,  in  a  few  hours  after  which  lime  re- 
solves them  into  their  primary  elements. 

The  English  burial-ground  joins  the  Campo  Santo,  but  is 
very  different.  It  is  filled  with  flowers,  ornamental  trees 
and  shrubs,  with  a  large  stone  opposite  the  gateway,  on 
which  are  inscribed  texts  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  En- 
glish and  Italian.  The  monuments,  with  their  words  of 
holy  comfort  and  hope,  give  a  very  different  impression  to 
that  of  the  Italian  ones,  where  one  never  reads  any  thing 
but  a  long  catalogue  of  the  virtues,  real  or  imaginary,  of 
those  to  whose  memory  they  are  erected. 

March  29.  We  intend  starting  for  our  giro  to-morrow. 
Many  of  our  friends  have  advised  us  not  to  go;  others  tell 
us  that  it  is  quite  safe,  as  English  people  are  never  taken  ; 
but  when  I  ask  them  "  would  you  go  ?"  they  seem  to  think 
that  is  quite  another  affair.  As  I  mentioned  before,  neither 
the  rich  Sicilians  nor  the  English  residents  dare  drive  half 
a  mile  out  of  the  town.  I  do  not  know  why  the  tourists 
and  people  belonging  to  the  hotels  are  safe.  I  sometimes 
think  the  hotel-keepers  pay  black  mail  to  the  brigands. 
The  people  stopping  with  us  at  the  Trinacria  took  long  ex- 
peditions over  the  mountains,  and  were  never  molested. 

"NY and  I  take  long  walks  into  the  country  and  always 

return  safe — a  thing  no  Sicilian  would  do.  The  gardener 
of  the  Palazzo  Serra  di  Falco  told  us  that  his  mistress  rare- 
ly came  now  to  see  the  garden,  in  which  she  had  formerly 
taken  such  delight,  though  it  is  not  more  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour's  drive  from  the  town ! 

Wo  were  told  the  other  day  the  story  of  the  capture  of 


January  to  April.  39 

Mr, ,  an  English  merchant,  two  or  three  years  ago. 

He  was  driving  with  his  daughter  about  a  mile  from  Paler- 
mo, when  the  carriage  was  suddenly  surrounded  by  six  men, 
who  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  did  not  get  out  of  the 
carriage  quietly  and  go  with  them.  He  pretended  at  first 
not  to  understand  them,  and  spoke  to  them  in  English ;  but 
they  said  "  it  is  no  use  trying  to  deceive  us ;  you  can  speak 

Sicilian  quite  as  well  as  we  can,  Mr. ;  come  with  us 

directly."  He,  seeing  resistance  was  useless,  went  with 
them,  leaving  his  daughter  in  the  carriage  with  the  coach- 
man, surrounded  by  men  who  kept  pointing  their  guns  at 
them  if  they  dared  to  move.     The  bandits  dragged  poor 

Mr. ,  who  is  a  large,  stout  man,  over  walls,  fields,  and 

ditches,  until  at  last  he  fell  through  fatigue,  and  said  he 
would  go  no  farther.  They  then  all  sat  down,  and  began 
steadily  bargaining  with  him  for  his  ransom.  He  was  to 
sign  a  paper  for  £1000,  but  this  he  positively  refused  to  do. 
They  then  asked  £500,  which  he  declared  he  would  not 
give ;  then  £200,  and  at  last  it  was  settled  that  he  should 
bring  £50  himself  on  the  following  morning,  and  deposit  it 
on  a  certain  stone  in  a  field  which  they  pointed  out  to  him. 
He  was  then  allowed  to  depart,  after  solemnly  promising 

that  the  money  should  be  forthcoming.     Poor  Miss 

sat  in  the  mean  time  in  the  carriage  in  the  most  terrible 
anxiety,  crying  bitterly.  The  brigands  hid  themselves  be- 
hind the  wall,  on  the  top  of  which  the  muzzles  of  their  guns 
could  be  seen  pointing  at  the  carriage.  She  did  not  dare 
drive  on,  as  the  brigands  told  her  if  she  did  so  it  would  be 
at  the  peril  of  her  life.  A  priest  and  some  other  men  passed, 
but  took  no  notice  of  her.  At  last  a  cart  drove  up  with 
several  men  armed  with  guns  sitting  in  it.     They  stopped 

and  asked  Miss why  she  was  in  such  distress.     She 

told  her  sad  story,  and  they  advised  her  to  drive  home  di- 


40  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

recti  y,  as  it  was  dangerous  for  her  to  stay  outside  the  town. 
She  tried  to  persuade  them  to  follow  the  brigands  and  to 
rescue  her  father;  but  this  they  steadily  refused  to  do. 
They  kept  entreating  her  to  drive  on,  but  she  said  she  dared 
not  do  so,  as  the  guns  of  the  brigands  were  still  pointing  at 
her.  She  wanted  to  point  out  the  guns  to  these  men,  but 
they  immediately  hushed  her  with  gestures  of  great  alarm, 
and  drove  away.  She  at  last,  summoning  up  courage  to  fol- 
low their  advice,  drove  swiftly  back  to  the  town,  to  carry 
the  sad  news  to  her  family ;  the  soldiers  immediately  turn- 
ed out  and  scoured  the  country.     Mr. returned  in  the 

evening.     Many  men  were  taken   up  on   suspicion   and 

thrown  into  prison.     Mr. was  asked  to  go  and  try  to 

identify  them :  this  was  endangering  his  own  life,  however ; 
for,  had  he  been  the  instrument  of  their  conviction,  their  re- 
lations would  have  shot  him ;  so  he  declared  he  knew  none 
of  them,  and  they  were  consequently  released.    In  a  few 

days  several  men  called  on  Mr. to  thank  him,  and  his 

watch  was  returned  to  him. 


April  3  to  11.  41 


CHAPTER   II. 

April  3  to  11. 

Messina. — Italian  Hotels. — How  to  avoid  Disputes. — Shaving  at  Mes- 
sina.— The  Environs  of  the  Place. — The  Camera  taken  for  an  Infer- 
nal Machine. — The  Prison. — Taormina. — View  of  Etna  in  Eruption. 
— The  active  Craters  at  Night. — Our  Servant. — A  Wedding  at  Taor- 
mina.— A  truly  volcanic  Soil. — Linguagrossa. — The  Albergo  di  Etna. 
— Eirst  Ascent  of  the  Mountain. — Our  Guides. — The  moving  Lava. — 
Destruction  of  the  Forests. — Inquisitiveness  of  our  Guides. — The  Brig- 
and Signs. 

Messina,  April  3.  "We  got  very  tired  of  Palermo,  and  as 
the  weather  was  so  bad  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  the 
giro  along  the  roads,  we  took  the  steamer  at  five  o'clock 
one  afternoon,  and  arrived  here  at  six  o'clock  the  following 
morning.  It  has  been  raining  hard  to-day.  We  seem  per- 
secuted by  bad  weather,  as  in  March  it  rained  for  twenty- 
four  consecutive  days.  Our  hotel  (the  Trinacria  again)  is 
comfortable,  and  the  charges  very  moderate — twenty  francs 
a  day,  including  servants  and  candles,  a  sitting-room  and 
bedroom.  We  settled  the  prices  with  the  landlord  before 
we  agreed  to  remain.  The  only  way  to  get  on  at  the  Ital- 
ian hotels  is  to  bargain  beforehand.  Those  who  pay  the 
price  demanded  are  despised  as  well  as  imposed  upon. 

This  town  is  quite  a  modern  one,  as  it  has  been  frequent- 
ly destroyed  both  by  earthquakes  and  bombardments.  It 
is  now  a  thriving  sea-port,  full  of  life  and  activity ;  nearly 
all  the  steamers  trading  in  the  Mediterranean  put  into  the 
harbor,  which  is  sheltered  by  a  strip  of  land  in  the  shape  of 


42  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

a  crescent.  The  view  across  the  straits,  with  the  mountains 
of  Calabria  in  the  distance,  is  charming,  and  I  am  never 
tired  of  watching  from  my  window  the  animated  groups 
collected  round  the  fine  fountain  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road.  Above  the  fountain  is  a  colossal  statue  of  Neptune, 
calm  and  majestic,  looking  as  if  he  had  just  risen  from  his 
watery  realm.  His  large  beard  is  dripping,  and  at  his  feet, 
chained,  lie  two  large  female  figures,  representing  Scylla 
and  Charybdis,  with  faces  distorted  by  passion. 

The  barbers  here  ply  their  busy  trade,  and  seem  hardly 
to  have  time  to  attend  to  their  numerous  customers,  every 
coachman,  tailor,  and  beggar  of  the  town  coming  here  in 
turn  to  be  shaved.  The  dirtiest  old  beggar,  with  only  a 
few  straggling  gray  hairs  on  his  head,  his  body  covered 
with  filthy  rags,  will  sit  down  in  the  sun,  and,  with  up- 
turned face,  give  himself  up  to  ten  minutes  of  thorough 
enjoyment  while  a  gentle  and  dexterous  hand  lathers  his 
withered  cheeks,  and  with  a  sharp  razor  removes  all  "  su- 
perfluous" hairs,  and  sends  him  back  again  to  society,  if  not 
a  better,  at  least  a  cleaner  man. 

April  4.  We  have  just  returned  from  a  delightful  expedi- 
tion to  a  very  old  Norman  abbey,  built  in  the  middle  of  a 
torrent,  about  three  miles  from  the  town.  The  water  has 
washed  such  a  quantity  of  rubbish  into  it  that  its  beautiful 
doors  and  pillars  are  nearly  buried.  On  each  side  of  the 
torrent  rise  high  walls  of  rock,  overshadowing  the  building. 
We  sat  here  for  two  hours,  and  I  amused  myself  by  watch- 
ing the  women  climb  the  steep  sides  of  one  of  these  mount- 
ains, with  large  baskets  on  their  heads,  their  heavily-laden 
mules  following  them.  To  my  dismay,  I  was  told  that, 
when  the  pictures  were  taken,  I  should  have  to  climb  quite 

as  steep  a  hill.     While  W was  photographing,  several 

young  men  passed,  and  I  asked  them  to  stand  to  enliven  the 

\ 


April  3  to  11.  43 

pictures,  but  they  all  declined,  and  evidently  thought  that 
the  camera,  on  which  they  looked  Avith  the  greatest  fear, 
contained  an  evil  spirit.  They  had  never  seen  such  an  ap- 
paratus before.  At  last  I  persuaded  one  bolder  than  the 
rest,  and  W took  his  portrait  standing  against  the  pic- 
turesque old  building.  When  the  pictures  were  all  satis- 
factorily taken,  the  basket  containing  the  apparatus  was  put 
on  the  back  of  a  donkey,  and  we  began  to  ascend  the  hill. 
It  was  a  regular  clamber,  but  I  was  well  repaid  by  the  mag- 
nificent view  when  we  reached  the  summit. 

The  Straits  of  Messina,  the  snow-capped  mountains  of 
Calabria,  and  the  town,  with  its  strong  fortresses,  were  all 
mapped  out  before  us.  On  the  other  side  was  the  blue 
Mediterranean,  stretching  far  away  to  the  horizon.  Strom- 
boli  and  the  other  Lipari  Islands  were  plainly  visible,  the 
former  pirffing  up  tall  columns  of  smoke.  I  sat  down  to  rest 
on  the  short  sweet  turf,  and  could  scarcely  tear  myself  away 
from  the  lovely  scene.  Our  carriage  met  us  here,  and  we 
drove  back  to  Messina  by  a  zigzag  road  down  the  mount- 
ain, catching  at  intervals  the  same  beautiful  view,  while  on 
one  side  of  the  road  were  large  groups  of  trees,  banks  of 
moss,  and  wild  flowers  in  profusion,  cyclamens,  enormous 
violets,  and  quantities  of  white  heather.  The  air  was  per- 
fumed by  the  sweet  scent  of  the  flowers. 

April  5.  Yesterday  we  visited  a  very  old  tower  called 
Rocca  Guelfonia,  and  had  to  go  through  part  of  the  prison 
to  reach  it,  four  or  five  soldiers  escorting  us.  It  was  a  sad 
sight  to  see  the  prisoners  staring  at  us  like  wild  beasts  from 
behind  their  iron  gratings,  which  are  often  double.  Some 
were  walking  up  and  down  for  exercise  on  a  very  small 
roof  with  iron  railings  all  around.  Many  of  the  faces  made 
one  shudder,  every  evil  passion  seeming  to  have  set  its  seal 
upon  them.     The  soldiers  had  all  honest,  open  countenances 


44  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

and  gentle  manners,  and  would  not  accept  the  money  we 
offered  them,  neither  would  they  allow  the  porter  at  the 
gate  to  take  any.  I  saw  such  young  children,  not  more 
than  five  or  six  years  old,  working  hard  at  breaking  stones, 
or  leading  horses,  and  engaged  in  many  other  kinds  of 
work. 

Taormina,  April  7.  We  have  engaged  a  very  good  car- 
riage, with  three  horses,  for  twenty  francs  a  day,  which  is  to 
include  all  expenses,  and  in  this  vehicle  we  have  driven 
along  the  coast.  The  road,  which  winds  close  to  the  sea,  is 
very  lovely,  bordered  by  orchards,  some  in  full  leaf,  others 
in  blossom,  their  pink  flowers  standing  out  in  bright  relief 
against  the  snowy  background  of  the  mountains.  The  coun- 
try is  thickly  populated,  and  we  drove  through  numbers  of 
villages,  the  houses  generally  of  stone,  two  stories  high,  but 
without  glass  in  the  windows,  which  were  closed  with  wood- 
en shutters  only.  The  people  looked  very  happy  and  indus- 
trious, with  honest,  good-natured  faces ;  the  young  girls  had 
all  fine  features,  but  very  dai'k  complexions.  We  went  into 
one  house  where  they  were  making  vases  and  jars ;  my 
dress,  as  I  went  in,  upset  two  large  ones  at  the  doorway.  I 
expected  to  hear  the  smash,  but,  on  looking  round,  saw  that 
the  jars  had  merely  altered  their  shape,  and  were  all  bent 
on  one  side,  the  clay  being  still  wet  and  pliable.  Our  hotel 
has  only  just  been  opened  in  the  centre  of  the  town ;  the 
accommodation  is  miserable,  but  the  view  magnificent,  with 
Mount  Etna  exactly  opposite  the  window ;  but,  alas !  the 
pleasure  to  one  sense  is  counterbalanced  by  the  misery  to 
another,  for  one  of  the  black  streams  so  common  in  Sicily, 
into  which  runs  all  the  drainage  of  the  town,  flows  down  the 
middle  of  the  street,  just  under  our  windows. 

We  can  get  no  meat  here,  nor  any  thing  eatable  except 
macaroni.     The  town  is  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level 


April  3  to  11.  45 

of  the  sea,  the  road  up  to  it  is  a  very  steep  ascent,  and  was 
only  made  a  year  ago  by  the  command  of  Prince  Hum- 
bert. The  view  from  it  is  very  fine,  and  we  were  fortunate 
in  having  a  clear  day,  which  allowed  us  to  see  Mount  Etna 
towering  in  its  lofty  grandeur  to  the  height  of  eleven  thou- 
sand feet,  its  summit  and  great  part  of  its  base  covered  with 
snow,  and  volumes  of  smoke  ascending  from  the  crater.  We 
saw  two  new  cones,  which  looked  at  night  like  huge  bon- 
fires. This  view  of  the  mountain  is  most  sublime ;  it  seems 
to  fill  nearly  the  whole  horizon,  standing  alone  in  all  its  un- 
earthly might.  We  could  scarcely  sleep  the  first  night,  but 
stood  at  the  window  watching  the  flaming  cones. 

We  spent  yesterday  at  the  old  Greek  theatre,  which  is 
built  on  a  high  hill ;  the  pillars  are  of  granite,  which  must 
have  been  brought  from  Egypt,  as  there  is  none  in  Italy. 
We  have  engaged  a  servant,  who  speaks  tolerable  English ; 
he  is  most  handy  and  useful,  and  generally  looks  neat,  al- 
though he  contrives  to  travel  without  any  luggage,  carrying 
not  even  a  small  bag. 

The  dirt  is  terrible,  but  so  it  is  every  where  in  Sicily. 
We  carry  our  own  sheets  with  us,  made  in  the  shape  of 
bags  to  tie  round  the  throat.  Without  this  precaution  we 
should  never  have  been  able  to  sleep  at  all,  nor  would  there 
have  been  much  of  us  left  by  this  time. 

April  9.  The  town  was  in  a  state  of  great  excitement  to- 
day on  account  of  the  marriage  of  the  richest  man  in  the 
place  with  a  young  girl  who  came  straight  from  the  con- 
vent to  the  church.  After  the  ceremony  she  changed  her 
dress,  and  putting  on  a  gay  red  jacket,  a  hat  with  feathers, 
etc.,  paraded,  with  the  bridegroom,  up  and  down  the  town, 
her  friends  walking  in  procession  behind  her.  We  met 
them,  and  bowed  to  the  bride,  who  was  not  at  all  pretty. 

We  have  just  returned  from  a  lovely  walk.     The  sun  had 


46  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

sunk  behind  the  hills,  but  still  lighted  up  the  top  of  Mount 
Etna,  gilding  the  transparent  smoke  which  rose  from  the 
crater,  and  floated  away  in  fantastic  wreaths  above  the 
clouds  which  hung  in  dark  masses  below.  We  were  walk- 
ing in  a  deep  valley,  between  the  mountains,  covered  with 
trees  and  vineyards.  A  stream  ran  far  beneath  us  to  the 
sea,  which  was  of  the  loveliest  and  deepest  blue,  the  white 
sails  of  the  boats  looking  like  large  sea-birds  floating  over 
the  surface.  The  blackbird,  now  heard  for  the  first  time 
since  I  left  England,  was  singing  sweetly ;  all  else  was 
hushed  and  calm.  I  can  not  describe  the  soothing  influ- 
ence of  the  lovely  hour  and  scene.  On  reaching  the  water, 
the  charm  was  broken  by  the  horrible  smell  rising  from  it, 
or  rather  from  the  mud  and  water-plants  which  grew  by  it, 
whose  fetid  odor  often  occasions  destructive  fevers. 

This  side  of  the  island  is  most  fertile  and  densely  popu- 
lated. After  the  lapse  of  years  has  rendered  the  lava  brit- 
tle and  easily  pulverized,  vegetation  will  spring  up  luxuri- 
antly, and  villages  are  built  over  the  ashes  of  former  ones, 
the  inhabitants  thinking  little  of  the  ruin  that  may,  at  any 
moment,  overwhelm  themselves. 

On  every  side  of  the  mountain  are  corn-fields  and  vine- 
yards, and  luxuriant  groves  of  olive  and  almond  trees,  plant- 
ed oh  land  entirely  reclaimed  from  the  lava,  which  crops  out 
now  and  then  in  all  its  hideous  blackness  and  sterility,  either 
in  low  mounds  or  huge  rocks,  whose  bare  and  rugged  sides 
mark  the  course  which  the  river  of  molten  fire  took  centu- 
ries ago,  destroying  ancient  corn-fields  and  vineyards  as  fer- 
tile and  beautiful  as  those  which  now  rejoice  the  eye  with 
their  luxuriant  growth.  "Every  where  by  the  side  of. pres- 
ent happiness  and  wealth  we  see  the  phantom  of  past  deso- 
lation and  misery,  making  us  tremble  for  the  future." 
Trouble  and  sorrow  are  so  like  this  lava ;  they  sweep  over 


April  3  to  11.  47 

the  human  heart,  leaving  it  to  all  appearance  bare  and 
scorched  like  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  Years  roll  by, 
and  as  from  the  lava-covered  plains  rich  fruits  spring  up 
in  all  their  luxuriant  beauty,  so,  "though  now  chastening 
seemeth  not  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous,  nevertheless  after- 
ward it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness." 

April  11.*  Having  determined  to  make  a  close  inspec- 
tion of  this  new  eruption,  which  had  broken  out  during  the 
month  of  January,  and  had  continued  incessantly  ever  since, 
we  started  from  Taormina  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in 
a  carriage  with  three  horses  harnessed  abreast,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  country.  We  had  been  strongly  advised 
not  to  stop  at  Piedimonte  (where  most  of  the  people  who 
had  visited  the  new  craters  had  taken  up  their  quarters), 
but  to  go  four  miles  farther,  to  an  equally  miserable  town 
rejoicing  in  the  name  of  Linguagrossa,  supposed  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  rustic  dialect  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  course  the  lava  was  now  taking  rendered  it  neces- 
sary for  all  those  starting  from  the  former  town  to  go  round 
to  the  westward  of  the  district  devastated  by  the  fiery 
stream ;  and  to  do  this,  the  four  miles  of  road  to  Lingua- 
grossa had  to  be  traversed,  which  we  thought  might  be 
done  more  comfortably  in  a  carriage  than  on  the  backs  of 
mules.  At  Linguagrossa  we  took  up  our  quarters  at  the 
Albergo  di  Etna,  and  we  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
Linguagrossa  was  the  most  miserable  looking  collection  of 
houses  we  had  ever  seen.  Not  only  were  the  houses  black 
from  being  built  of  lava,  but  every  thing  was  black,  land 
and  all ;  the  soil  was  nothing  more  than  the  lava  pulverized 
by  the  action  of  the  weather  on  it  for  centuries.  One  hill, 
however,  to  the  north  of  the  town,  was  an  exception,  being 

*  The  narrative  is  here  taken  up  hy  me  from  my  diary.  — W.  J. 
c.  M. 


48  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

composed  of  red  lava,  which  only  served  to  make  the  rest 
of  the  land  around  look  blacker. 

Our  arrival  seemed  to  afford  great  amusement  to  the 
crowd  lounging  about  the  door  of  the  hostelry.  They  were 
especially  diverted  with  the  weight  of  my  wife's  portman- 
teau, which  required  two  men  to  carry  it,  as  it  was  half  filled 
with  glass  ready  for  pictures,  my  dutiful  wife  having,  in  a 
most  exemplary  manner,  sacrificed  half  the  space  allotted  to 
her  wardrobe  for  the  sake  of  her  husband's  negatives. 

We  had  been  rather  dismayed  at  the  hotel  at  Taormiua, 
but  on  entering  the  Albergo  di  Etna  I  confess  my  heart 

sank,  and  A looked  the  picture  of  despair.     We  had 

the  choice  of  two  rooms,  each  of  which  had  beds  in  all  four 
corners;  and  we  were  told  that  if  more  travelers  came  we 
should  have  to  share  our  room  with  the  new-comers,  but 
this  we  declared  impossible ;  so  the  spectacled  landlord  said 
as  there  was  a  lady  in  the  case  he  would  break  his  rule  for 
once.  The  best  room,  looking  into  the  street,  was  declared 
uninhabitable  on  account  of  the  fearful  smell  of  burning  fat 
occasioned  by  cooking  on  a  braciera  or  pan  of  live  charcoal, 
which  is  the  only  fire  used  by  the  natives  of  Sicily.  A  table 
was  carried  into  the  other,  and  we  waited  impatiently  for 
our  dinner,  which  was  being  cooked,  while  the  landlord  was 
ordering  and  preparing  the  mules  and  guides  to  the  nuovo 
fuoco,  as  the  place  of  the  eruption  is  termed. 

We  arrived  at  12  30,  and  by  two  o'clock  we  had  dis- 
patched part  of  the  tiny  saddle  of  mutton  we  had  bought 
en  route.  (It  never  does  to  trust  to  the  resources  of  a  town 
in  this  part  of  the  world  on  the  first  day  of  an  arrival.)  On 
the  announcement  that  the  mules  were  ready,  we  descended 
into  the  street,  and  found  four  animals  and  three  guides — 
the  head  guide,  we  afterward  learned,  was  a  brigand,  under 
whose  care  our  party  was  considerately  placed  by  the  land- 


April  3  to  11.  49 

lord,  who  told  him  he  would  be  held  responsible  for  our 
safety.  He  was  a  most  villainous-looking  fellow — of  most 
abhorred  aspect,  "  by  the  hand  of  nature  marked,  quoted, 
and  signed  to  do  a  deed  of  shame."  He  was  accompanied 
by  a  boy,  and  a  very  good-looking  youth  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  who  devoted  himself  to  A all  the  time. 

The  first  three  quarters  of  an  hour  we  passed  between 
lava  walls,  the  land  on  either  side  cultivated  in  a  rough 
style  as  corn-fields,  filbert-woods,  or  vineyards.  We  no- 
ticed, too,  that  although  the  vines  at  Taormina  were  begin- 
ning to  show  the  new  shoots,  here,  at  1800  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  they  did  not  give  the  slightest  signs  of  the 
approach  of  summer.  We  passed  along  deep  ravines,  or 
lava-nullahs  (if  I  may  be  allowed  to  use  such  a  word)  chis- 
eled out  by  the  fiery  torrents  in  days  gone  by,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  country  growing  blacker  still,  and  wilder,  as  we 
ascended.  The  winter  torrents  had,  in  places,  cut  the  solid 
lava  into  curious  ridges  parallel  to  each  other,  while  scat- 
tered about  were  many  craters  that  had  caused  devastation 
hundreds  of  years  ago. 

Sixteen  hundred  feet  above  Linguagrossa  the  woody  re- 
gion begins,  the  forests  consisting  of  enormous  oak-trees. 
Here  were  congregated  a  number  of  charcoal-burners,  who 
lived  in  rude  huts,  on  which  were  placed  branches  of  fir- 
trees  to  keep  off  the  rain,  and  outside  each  hut  was  a  large 
block  of  snow  placed  on  a  slab  of  lava;  the  water  from  the 
snow,  as  it  thawed,  dripped  into  a  barrel.  The  men  were 
exceedingly  wild-looking,  and  had  very  large  axes,  which 
they  were  wielding  vigorously,  but  all  oeased  their  labors 
to  watch  our  cavalcade  pass  by.  I  observed  that  they  had 
fierce  dogs  for  their  companions,  like  the  men  on  Monte 
Pelegrino. 

The  scorza,  or  track,  was  here  so  steep  that  A had  at 

0 


50  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

times  to  cling  to  the  neck  of  her  mule.  We  now  saw  firs 
mingled  with  oaks.  The  latter,  according  to  my  aneroid 
barometer,  did  not  grow  at  a  higher  altitude  than  2600  feet 
above  Linguagrossa  (or  4325  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea).  Some  of  these  oaks  were  very  large,  being  fifteen  feet 
in  circumference.  The  firs  were  also  of  great  size,  being 
nine  feet  round,  and  rising  straight  up  to  a  great  height. 

After  continuing  our  adventurous  way  through  this  lone- 
ly region  for  the  space  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  we  heard 
the  noise  of  more  wood-cutters  hard  at  work.  These  proved 
to  be  men  engaged  in  saving  the  trees  that  were  in  the  line 
of  the  lava's  course.  The  stream  was  now  moving  fast 
down  the  mountain,  having  advanced  one  hundred  yards 
since  yesterday.  My  barometer  at  Linguagrossa  reported 
28*50,  my  thermometer  58° ;  here  the  former  showed  25*60, 
the  latter  42°,  indicating  that  the  spot  where  the  molten 
stream  had  arrived  was  about  4725  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

The  first  sight  of  the  moving  mass  of  lava  was  truly  mar- 
velous, and  baffles  description.  In  some  places  it  was  a  mile 
wide,  and  about  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  from  the  main 
stream  ran  a  number  of  smaller  ones,  like  huge  railway  em- 
bankments. The  surface  of  the  side  toward  us  was  black 
in  color,  and  as  the  mass  swept  on  in  its  remorseless  march 
with  horrible  crackling  sound,  lighting  up  the  grand  old 
trees  before  devouring  them,  the  upper  surface  was  gently 
raised  by  the  molten  matter  running  underneath,  and  the 
scoria  fell  over  the  sides,  emitting  a  fearfully  lurid  glare. 

It  was  difficult  to  approach  very  close,  on  account  of  the 
intense  heat.  I  detached  a  piece  of  red-hot  lava  with  a 
long  stick,  and  forced  a  franc  into  it  to  keep  as  a  memento 
of  our  visit,  but  in  one  minute  it  swelled  up,  and,  passing 
off  in  fumes,  disappeared,  while  all  the  natives  laughed  at 
our  looks  of  dismay. 


April  3  to  11.  51 

We  saw  several  large  firs  that  had  been  enveloped  by  the 
fiery  stream,  and  as  we  watched  we  saw  them  fall  with  a 
crash,  their  trunks  having  been  eaten  through  by  the  hot 
lava,  and  they  wei'e  then  carried  with  the  stream  on  the  top 
of  the  scoria.  I  noticed  that  when  the  lava  lost  its  red  heat 
it  was  still  impossible  to  break  it,  from  its  tenacious  charac- 
ter; but  as  it  grew  cold  it  was  quite  brittle.  The  scoria 
here  was  not  in  very  large  pieces  like  that  of  Mount  Vesu- 
vius, where  it  is  in  shape  of  slabs,  but  was  in  roundish  lumps 
from  six  inches  to  a  foot  long.  Just  above  where  we  were 
the  lava  had  taken  a  sharp  turn,  and  it  was  expected  to  run 
down  a  valley  full  of  large  trees ;  the  owners  of  the  wood 
were  here  with  fifty  men,  cutting  down  and  dragging  the 
stems  out  of  the  expected  course  of  the  devouring  element. 
Oxen  were  attached  to  the  log  in  a  curious  way ;  a  bar  was 
simply  placed  under  their  humps,  and  to  the  ropes  from 
this  were  fastened  large  spikes,  which  were  driven  into  the 
wood.  The  faces  of  the  proprietors  showed  their  distress 
of  mind,  and  they  complained  bitterly  of  the  ill  fortune  that 
had  overtaken  them ;  luckily,  however,  they  had  buyers  for 
the  wood  they  were  cutting,  as  the  new  railway  from  Mes- 
sina to  Catania  required  large  quantities  of  it  for  sleepers. 

It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we  tore  ourselves  away 
from  this  scene  of  new  sensations ;  but  we  were  getting 
faint  with  the  great  heat,  and  it  was  late,  and  we  did  not 
wish  to  run  the  risk  of  being  out  in  the  dark  in  this  wild 
region.  Before  leaving,  however,  we  quite  made  up  our 
minds  to  visit  the  mouths  of  the  new  craters  the  next  day, 
which  were  two  hours'  climb  higher  up  the  mountain,  the 
lava  having  already  run  about  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
the  fissure,  where  it  issues  from  the  mountain  side.  It  was 
twenty  minutes  past  five  when  we  turned  our  faces  home- 
ward ;  we  soon  experienced  the  discomfort  of  riding  down 


52  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

places  almost  as  steep  as  a  staircase,  but  the  mules  were 
sure-footed,  and  we  could  only  hold  on  tight  and  trust  in 
Providence. 

On  our  way  down  the  head  guide  explained  to  me  the 
brigands'  signs,  which  are  always  made  to  each  other  in 
meeting.  The  eyes  twisted  to  the  left,  and  a  slight  toss  of 
the  head  upward,  show  that  the  travelers  are  of  the  same 
trade,  and  that  some  work  is  in  hand ;  the  hand  extended, 
with  the  fingers  turned  up, meant  "take  him  prisoner;"  the 
same,  with  the  fingers  turned  down,  signified  "kill  him." 
Our  guides  were  curious  to  know  whether  the  signorina 
was  going  up  to  the  bocce  to-morrow — which  route  we 
should  take,  and  where  we  were  going  afterward.  I  was 
annoyed  when  I  heard  that  our  man,  Giuseppe,  had  told 
them  to  Randazzo.  We  had  contented  ourselves  with  say- 
ing Catania,  to  which  town  there  were  two  roads,  without 
informing  them  that  we  intended  to  choose  the  one  through 
Randazzo. 

It  was  dark  an  hour  before  reaching  our  resting-place,  but 
a  moon  nearly  at  the  full  helped  us  on  our  way,  and,  arrang- 
ing for  fresh  mules  the  next  day,  we  went  early  to  bed  in 
order  to  prepare  for  the  hard  work  before  us. 


April  12  to  May.  53 


CHAPTER  EL 
April  1  2  to  May. 

Linguagrossa. — Second  Ascent  of  Etna. — The  Brigand  Signs  are  made 
to  our  Guide. — The  Snow-line. — The  active  Craters. — Photography 
under  Difficulties. — My  first  Adventure  with  Brigands. — A  narrow 
Escape. — We  change  our  Plans. — A  little  Disappointment  for  the 
Brigands. — Catania. — Good  Friday. — Processions  in  Southern  Italy. — 
Change  at  Naples  since  1860. — Benedictine  Monastery. — Syracuse. — 
The  old  Theatre.  —  The  Cathedral. — The  Catacombs. — Fruit  and 
Flowers. — Girgenti. — The  Cattiva  Gente. — Kindness  of  the  Consul. — 
Our  Hotel. — The  Excavations  in  the  Neighborhood. — Dispute  with 
our  Host. — Unexpected  Decision  of  the  Referee. — Italian  Officers  and 
their  Families  en  voyage. 

April  12,  1865.  The  next  morning  we  were  up  by  five 
o'clock,  having  spent  rather  a  sleepless  night  from  the  ex- 
citement of  seeing  what  we  had  talked  about  so  long  and 
with  so  much  interest.  We  made  as  good  a  breakfast  as 
we  could  manage  to  procure,  and  at  about  six  started  again 
over  the  same  ground  as  yesterday.  There  was  to-day  an- 
other mule,  on  which  was  placed  the  square  basket  contain- 
ing my  photographic  apparatus,  which  was  at  last  secured, 
after  great  wrangling  among  the  four  men  who  accompanied 
us.  Two  of  the  guides  were  the  same  as  yesterday,  and  the 
others  were  brothers  of  the  good-looking  youth  (by  name 
Pepi)  who  attended  so  carefully  to  my  wife's  safety. 

When  we  had  been  on  our  way  about  half  an  hour — pass- 
ing numbers  of  women  carrying  heavy  loads  of  wood — we 
met  two  men  carrying  axes  in  their  hands.  I  saw  them 
make  the  signs  to  Pepi  which  I  had  been  taught  the  day  be- 


54  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

fore,  including  the  extended  hand,  whereupon  I  laughingly 
said  "All  three  alike."  They  looked  rather  surprised,  and 
replied,  "You  know  too  much."  I  did  not  like  this  at  all ; 
but  as  the  two  men  were  going  toward  the  town,  I  determ- 
ined to  go  on,  keeping,  however,  a  sharp  look-out  all  the  way 
up.  About  two  miles  from  the  spot  where  we  had  seen  the 
lava  yesterday  afternoon,  we  turned  off  a  little  to  the  right, 
passing  through  the  dense  forest  of  fir-trees ;  and  here  we 
first  noticed  the  ground  covered  with  a  fine  black  dust, 
which  had  been  carried  by  the  wind  from  the  new  craters. 
We  now  came  to  the  snow-line,  and  great  care  was  neces- 
sary in  passing  the  ravines,  all  of  which  were  full  of  soft 
snow,  in  which  the  mules  sank  to  their  knees,  and  it  re- 
quired great  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  guides  to  extricate 
them  and  get  them  over  safely.  The  dust  got  thicker  and 
thicker  as  we  ascended.  We  passed  a  large  tract  where  all 
the  branches  of  the  trees  had  been  consumed  by  fire,  leav- 
ing the  gaunt  stems  blackened  by  its  action. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  we  reached  Monte  Crisimo,  an  old 
crater  about  150  feet  high,  and  very  steep.  On  ascending 
this,  the  scene  of  devastation  and  fury  of  the  elements  burst 
on  us ;  it  was  a  fearful  sight,  and  the  awful  roar  proceeding 
from  the  then  active  craters  completely  deafened  us.  The 
smoke  rose  in  dense  masses,  but  fortunately  a  northern 
wind  blew  both  it  and  the  stones  and  dust,  which  were  con- 
stantly being  thrown  up,  away  from  us  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. 

About  one  hundred  yards  from  the  crater  on  which  we 
were  was  the  lava  that  had  already  destroyed  all  in  its 
course.  Here  the  mass  was  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  high, 
and,  according  to  our  guide,  extended  one  mile  across.  It 
was  a  curious  sight,  its  whole  surface  cracked  and  distorted 
into  all  kinds  of  shapes,  bearing  upon  it  numerous  trunks  of 


April  12  to  May.  55 

trees  that  had  succumbed  to  the  force  of  the  fiery  stream, 
and  now  lay  extended  like  giants  on  its  cooled  surface. 

The  longer  we  looked  the  more  awe-struck  we  became; 
the  two  nearer  craters  were  belching  forth  steam  and  smoke, 
making  a  noise  like  that  of  great  waves  breaking  on  a  shin- 
gle shore,  or  like  the  noise  of  all  the  engines  in  the  world 
letting  off  their  steam,  while  a  lambent  sulphurous  vapor 
kept  playing  over  various  circular  patches  on  the  northern 
sides.  This  vapor  appeared  by  daylight  a  yellowish  color, 
but  at  night  we  were  told  it  was  a  dull  red  flame. 

The  smoke  was  not  constant,  but  rose  every  five  or  ten 
minutes.  It  would  come  up  in  dense  clouds  and  curl  l-ound 
the  craters,  and  then  in  two  or  three  minutes  rise  in  the  air, 
leaving  the  two  mouths  visible,  which  were  in  the  form  of 
perfect  circles  with  one  side  depressed.  I  took  two  views 
from  this  spot,  using  the  water  which  the  men  had  brought 
up  with  them  (as  they  thought  for  drinking  purposes).  As 
I  was  finishing  the  second  picture,  I  saw,  to  my  dismay,  the 
two  men  we  had  met  before  with  axes  approaching,  but  now 
they  were  armed  with  guns.  I  immediately  sent  Giuseppe, 
our  servant,  to  A ,  who,  on  seeing  the  new-comers,  re- 
treated to  the  top  of  the  old  crater.  The  two  men  now 
came  up  and  began  whispering  to  the  guides.  I  at  this  put 
my  hand  in  my  side-pocket,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  use  my 
revolver  at  a  moment's  notice  if  requisite ;  and,  not  to  ap- 
pear afraid,  I  approached  the  new-comers  and  said  a  word 
to  them,  when,  to  my  delight,  they  said  "good-day,"  and 
left  us. 

I  now  took  another  picture,  and  A came  down  from 

the  hill  to  me.  In  a  few  minutes  who  should  appear  hut 
the  men  who  had  just  gone  away,  but  this  time  they  had 
five  or  six  more  with  them,  all  armed  as  the  others,  and 
wearing:  belts  round  their  waists.     These  men  all  came  and 


56  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

stood  close  behind  me  as  I  had  my  head  under  the  black 
cloth,  while  developing  the  view  of  the  lava  I  had  just  taken, 
and  I  do  not  think  a  photograph  was  ever  taken  under 
more  disturbing  influences.  I  really  did  not  know  what  to 
do ;  and,  to  get  them  away  from  the  position  they  had  taken 
close  to  me,  I  made  Giuseppe,  who  was  in  an  awful  fright 
and  pretended  to  be  asleep,  tell  them  to  sit  down  a  little 
way  off,  while  I,  without  their  knowledge,  took  a  capital 
picture  of  them. 

A ,  fortunately,  had  not  the  slightest  idea  what  these 

men  were,  and  as  a  joke  she  sat  down  by  them,  pretending 
to  be  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  brigands.  Little  did  she 
think  that,  instead  of  a  joke,  it  was  reality,  and  that  these 
men  had  come  up  all  this  way  on  purpose  to  rob  and  mur- 
der us,  thinking  I  was  an  engineer  because  of  my  photo- 
graphic apparatus  and  barometer.  In  this  part  of  the  world 
all  engineers  are  considered  millionaires,  for  the  ignorant 
people  think  that  they  are  the  persons  who  employ  so  many 
hundreds  of  workmen,  and  that  they  make  the  railways 
with  their  own  private  funds.  Fortunately,  as  we  after- 
ward found  out,  our  guides  had  felt  the  weight  of  our  lug- 
gage at  the  inn  in  the  town  below,  and  Giuseppe  having 
told  them  that  we  were  going  to  Randazzo,  they  thought  it 
would  be  more  profitable  to  take  us,  luggage  and  all,  the 
next  day,  while  on  our  road  in  the  carriage.  We  now  had 
luncheon,  and  when  this  was  eaten,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  our  new  friends  depart,  but  only  after  a  great  deal 
of  confidential  talk  with  the  men  who  had  come  up  with  us. 

I  now  insisted  that  we  should  be  taken  nearer  to  the 
mouths  of  the  craters,  to  which  at  first  the  men  would  not 
agree ;  but  on  my  persisting,  we  started  off  on  foot,  two  of 
the  guides  carrying  the  photographic  box.  We  walked 
along  the  side  of  the  lava  for  nearly  a  mile  over  the  snow 


April  12  to  May.  51 

which  here  lay  on  the  ground,  though  covered  with  the 
black  dust  from  the  eruption  to  the  depth  of  from  four  to 
twelve  inches.  The  first  layer  of  dust  had  been  live  ashes, 
some  of  them  an  inch  each  way  in  size.  It  was  very  close- 
ly packed,  and  would  probably  keep  the  snow  from  thaw- 
ing all  the  summer.     Pepi  and  I  supported  A between 

us,  all  three  of  us  sometimes  sinking  in  the  snow  to  our 
knees.  At  last  we  found  out  that  it  was  only  where  the 
dust  was  wet  that  the  surface  was  unsafe,  and  after  this  dis- 
covery we  got  on  better. 

As  we  got  closer,  the  wild  grandeur  and  thunder  of  the 
mouths  increased,  and  the  noise  was  fearful,  quite  stopping 
all  conversation.  A  little  to  the  west  of  the  two  most  act- 
ive craters  was  a  hill,  or  rather  mountain,  1000  feet  high, 
that  had  been  thrown  up  (as  we  were  told)  in  two  or  three 
days  at  the  commencement  of  the  eruption.  This  was  quite 
black  in  color,  with  patches  of  yellow  (probably  sulphur) 
in  several  places.  From  the  summit  of  this  large  crater 
light  vapor  was  always  ascending,  and  every  now  and  then 
enormous  black  clouds  of  smoke  would  cover  the  top.  The 
wood  in  this  direction  had  suffered  much,  only  the  tall  stems 
of  the  fir-trees  being  left,  where  the  lava  had  not  utterly  de- 
stroyed them.  It  was  a  most  wild  and  desolate  sight,  and 
made  fine  studies  for  my  camera,  by  the  aid  of  which  I  se- 
cured, with  great  difficulty,  some  very  striking  views. 

The  work  was  most  fatiguing,  for  I  had  to  go  to  expose 
the  plates  at  least  300  yards  from  where  I  had  put  up  the 
developing  box,  and  running  over  the  treacherous  surface 
of  snow  and  dust  wras  most  tiring.  I  do  not  think  that  any 
amateur  ever  worked  harder.  I  felt,  however,  that  I  should 
never  have  such  a  chance  again,  and. was  stimulated  by  the 
knowledge  that  no  one  but  M.  Andrieu,  whom  we  had  met 
at  Messina,  had  ever  photographed  such  a  scene,  and  by  the 

C  2 


58  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

wish  of  sustaining  the  honor  of  England,  by  getting,  if  pos- 
sible, better  negatives  than  those  which  my  rival  had  shown 
me.  On  completing  my  labors,  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I 
drank  with  avidity  a  little  distilled  water  which  I  found 
among  my  chemicals,  and  I  would  gladly  have  given  a  Na- 
poleon an  ounce  for  some  more.  It  was  now  time  to  return, 
but  before  doing  so  we  took  one  more  look  at  this  wild  and 
fascinating  scene.  Behind  the  great  crater  to  the  left  Mount 
Etna  raised  its  lofty  head,  about  5000  feet  higher  than  the 
spot  where  we  were,  covered  with  the  purest  snow,  listen- 
ing in  majestic  silence  to  the  roaring  of  its  youngest  born. 

The  new  eruption  had  taken  place  just  at  the  termination 
of  the  woody  region.  Five  craters  in  all,  we  were  told,  had 
given  vent  to  the  subterranean  fires,  but,  at  the  time  of  our 
visit,  two  of  them  had  ceased  to  be  active. 

We  now  hurried  back  to  our  mules,  and  packing  all  our 
impedimenta,  mounted,  and  began  our  course  homeward. 

The  excitement  of  the  craters  had  in  the  interval  made 
me  forget  the  brigands,  who,  I  felt  sure,  were  not  far  off; 
but  the  behavior  of  our  guides  now  renewed  my  apprehen- 
sions. Instead  of  talking  to  me  continually  as  before,  they 
were  quite  silent,  and  would  hardly  answer  my  most  trivial 
question,  and  they  were  constantly  wandering  on  each  side 
ahead  of  the  party.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  spent  a  more  un- 
comfortable time ;  for  uncertainty  is  worse  than  reality ; 
and  my  anxiety  was  not  made  more  pleasing  by  one  of  the 
men  saying  to  me,  "Mi  place  molto  la  signorina  /"    It  was 

a  great  comfort  to  me  that  A had  not  the  slightest  idea 

of  my  fears,  which  I  did  not  tell  her  till  our  arrival  at  Ca- 
tania next  day.  At  7  30  we  reached  our  little  inn,  and,  after 
having  supper,  we  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

April  13.  When  we  first  arrived  at  Linguagrossa  we  had 
arranged  with  our  coachman  for  a  visit  to  Randazzo  and 


April  12  to  May.  59 

the  other  towns  at  the  back  of  the  mountain.  We  were 
talking  about  this  expedition  after  our  return  from  Mount 
Etna,  when  our  man,  Giuseppe,  entered  the  room,  and  clos- 
ing the  door  mysteriously  behind  him,  as  if  afraid  of  being 
overheard,  entreated  us,  in  a  whisper,  to  give  up  our  pro- 
jected visit  to  Randazzo,  as  he  had  heard  that  the  men 
whom  he  had  seen  the  day  before  were  brigands,  and  that 
they  had  arranged  a  plan  to  take  us  and  our  luggage  on  the 
road.  The  poor  man  turned  white  with  fear  as  he  spoke. 
We  told  him,  laughing,  that  he  need  not  be  alarmed,  as  the 
brigands  only  captured  Italians,  and  never  English  travel- 
ers. He  then  ran  over  a  long  list  of  the  people  who  had 
been  taken,  and  told  us  that  even  the  inhabitants  of  Lingua- 
grossa  knew  we  were  very  rich  persons,  for  "  all  could  see 
that  the  Englishman  was  an  engineer,  or  the  next  thing  to 
it,  viz.,  a  nobleman !  for  was  not  the  white  turban  he  wore 
round  his  hat  a  sign  of  his  riches  or  rank  ?"  The  landlord 
added  his  advice  to  Giuseppe's  entreaties,  telling  us  plainly 
that  he  could  not  guarantee  our  safety  unless  we  took  an 
escort  of  soldiers.  Being  determined  not  to  let  any  one 
know  the  road  we  were  to  take,  I  dismissed  them  with  these 
words :  "  Tell  the  coachman  to  be  ready  to  start  at  eight 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning."  They  both  left  the  room, 
shrugging  their  shoulders  at  the  madness  of  the  English- 
man. I,  however,  from  the  moment  I  had  been  surrounded 
by  the  men  near  the  crater,  had  resolved  to  return  to  Cata- 
nia by  the  coast,  and  to  give  up  the  expedition  round  the 
mountain. 

The  next  morning,  early,  Giuseppe  came  again  to  implore 
me  to  drive  to  Catania,  but  all  that  he  could  get  from  me 
was  the  order  to  tell  the  coachman  to  get  the  carriage  ready 
for  the  luggage.  Poor  Giuseppe  obeyed  with  many  a  dole- 
ful sigh  and  shrug.     The  carriage  drove  round  ;  the  horses' 


60  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

heads  were  turned  toward  Randazzo ;  the  bells  had  been 
taken  off,  that  no  warning  of  our  approach  might  be  given ; 
the  coachman  looked  pale  and  neiwous,  watching  the  crowd 
that  assembled  to  see  us  off;  I  stood  on  the  balcony  while 
the  luggage  was  being  packed,  and  when  all  was  ready  we 
descended  and  stepped  into  the  carriage;  and  then,  stand- 
ing up, I  said  to  the  coachman,  "Turn  the  horses'  heads,  and 
drive  to  Catania."  A  loud  roar  of  laughter  broke  from  the 
crowd  as  we  drove  furiously  away,  feeling  sure  that  no  inti- 
mation of  our  change  of  purpose  could  have  been  conveyed 
to  the  brigands  in  time  for  them  to  interfere  with  us.  They 
probably  spent  this  day  in  lying  in  wait  for  us  in  some  dark 
wood,  or  convenient  angle  of  the  rocky  road  between  Lin- 
guagrossa  and  Randazzo. 

April  13.*  We  arrived  at  Catania  on  the  13th.  The  drive 
from  Linguagrossa  was  beautiful,  but  the  distant  view  of 
Catania,  which  is  on  a  flat  plain  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Etna, 
did  not  prepare  us  for  the  beauty  of  its  splendid  buildings. 
It  forms  in  this  point  a  striking  contrast  to  many  of  the  Si- 
cilian towns  we  have  seen,  which  are  generally  lovely  at  a 
distance,  from  their  picturesque  situations,  but  dirty  and 
miserable  when  once  the  gates  are  passed.  Catania  is  a 
comparatively  modern  city,  having  been  built  about  two 
hundred  years  ago,  after  the  overthrow  of  the  old  town  by 
one  of  the  many  earthquakes  which  are  always  threatening 
the  towns  and  villages  around  the  giant  mountain  whose 
smoking  crater  is  to  be  seen  towering  above  from  every 
street.  The  houses,  which  are  really  enormous,  are  entirely 
built  of  lava  and  stuccoed  over,  and  the  wide  streets  are 
paved  with  it.  Catania  is  a  flourishing,  thriving  place,  and 
the  trade  will  be  immensely  increased  when  the  railroad  is 
finished  round  the  coast,  connecting  all  the  principal  towns. 
*  From  Mrs.  M 's  diarv. 


April  12  to  May.  61 

Englishmen  will  probably  then  find  that  this  is  a  charming- 
winter  residence,  as  it  is  very  healthy,  and  the  counti'y  round 
is  lovely. 

There  are  very  interesting  remains  of  the  old  Greek  and 
Roman  city  disinterred  from  the  lava,  especially  the  remains 
of  the  theatre  and  the  catacombs ;  but  we  were  not  able  to 
visit  the  latter,  neither  could  we  make  any  of  the  usual  ex- 
peditions round  the  mountain,  for  which  Catania  is  the  start- 
ing-point, on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  my  husband,  who 
was  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  hotel  during  our  stay  in 
the  place. 

On  Good  Friday,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  there  was 
a  grand  procession  of  the  senators,  monks,  noblemen,  and 
principal  people  in  the  town.  They  first  assembled  in  the 
Cathedral,  which  was  brilliantly  lighted  up,  and  assisted  at 
a  solemn  requiem.  The  general  public  were  not  admitted, 
so  we  took  our  stand  on  the  grand  piazza  outside,  and  after 
waiting  a  short  time,  the  great  doors  of  the  Cathedral  were 
flung  open,  and  the  procession  slowly  defiled  from  it,  head- 
ed by  the  bishop  and  canons  in  quaint  copes  and  hoods  lined 
with  ermine,  with  long  fur  trains.  A  crown  of  thorns  was 
the  only  head-dress  worn,  and  every  one  carried  an  enor- 
mous wax  taper,  the  monks  chanting  a  solemn  dirge  the 
while.  In  the  centre  of  the  procession  was  a  wax  figure  of 
our  Savior  lying  on  a  bier,  the  blood  slowly  sickling  from 
his  side.  For  two  hours  they  slowly  marched  about,  while 
a  solemn  silence  reigned  around;  awe  and  devotion  were 
imprinted  on  the  features  of  the  crowd,  almost  as  if  they 
were  present  at  the  awful  event  itsejf  instead  of  its  scenic 
representation.  The  most  striking  incongruity  in  this  solem- 
nity was  the  conduct  of  the  street-boys,  who  ran  in  and  out 
of  the  procession,  picking  up  and  carefully  treasuring  the 
pieces  of  wax  that  dropped  from  the  lighted  candles. 


62  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

The  popularity  of  these  processions  is  a  sort  of  measure 
by  which  to  gauge  the  moral  and  intellectual  progress  of 
the  people.  Among  the  ignorant  population  of  the  remote 
towns  of  Sicily  they  are  frequent,  and  are  considered  to 
bring  a  blessing  on  both  town  and  people ;  whereas  in 
Southern  Italy,  even  in  Naples  itself — once  the  abode  of  the 
most  abject  superstition — these  ceremonies  are  becoming 
every  day  rarer.  The  entry  of  Garibaldi  into  the  latter 
town  was  the  first  ray  of  the  flood  of  light,  which  is  des- 
tined, I  trust,  to  illuminate  all  the  dark  places  of  this  lovely 
land.  Instead  of  processions,  he  gave  the  people  schools, 
which  are  eagerly  attended  by  a  people  so  long  systematic- 
ally kept  by  their  rulers  in  the  grossest  ignorance.  I  was 
grieved  to  hear  that  the  Church  of  England,  both  at  Paler- 
mo and  Naples,  is  doing  little  or  nothing,  while  the  Luther- 
ans and  Presbyterians  have  established  Sunday-schools,  de- 
pots for  the  sale  of  Bibles,  etc. 

But  I  have  wandered  too  far  away  from  Catania  and  its 
churches.  We  paid  a  visit  the  other  day  to  one  of  the  lar- 
gest in  the  world — that  belonging  to  the  Benedictine  mon- 
astery. It  is  unfinished,  as,  on  account  either  of  an  earth- 
quake or  of  some  fault  in  the  building,  the  pillars  have  sunk, 
and  the  foundation  is  considered  insecure.  We  heard  high 
mass,  and  I  was  rather  amused  at  seeing  the  care  the  priests 
took  to  avoid  cold  in  their  numerous  prostrations.  Every 
time  they  lay  flat  on  the  floor  (a  ceremony  I  had  never  be- 
fore observed  in  any  Roman  Catholic  Church),  a  rich  car- 
pet, with  a  velvet  pillow,  was  spread  on  the  ground,  while 
the  poor  and  scanty  congregation  were  compelled  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  the  hard,  cold  stone  floor. 

After  the  service  we  walked  round  the  church,  and  I 
stopped  to  admire  two  magnificent  bouquets  of  the  loveliest 
flowers  on  one  of  the  altars.     The  priest,  seeing  my  admira- 


April  12  to  May.  63 

tion,  stepped  forward,  and,  to  my  surprise,  politely  invited 
me  to  take  any  I  liked.  I  hesitated  to  do  so,  and  he  collect- 
ed for  me  a  bouquet  of  the  most  splendid  roses,  heliotropes, 

white  tulips,  violets,  etc.     In  the  mean  time  W visited 

the  museum.  I  was  only  allowed  to  enter  the  chapel.  The 
monastery  is  extremely  rich,  but  there  are  very  few  monks. 
We  then  visited  the  ruins  of  the  old  theatre.  Curiously 
enough,  they  have  discovered  that  under  the  Roman  theatre 
was  an  old  Greek  one,  the  excavators  having  laid  bare  the 
enormous  blocks  of  stone  characteristic  of  Grecian  architect- 
ure. We  saw  little  else  in  the  place  on  account  of  my  hus- 
band being  attacked  with  illness ;  and  directly  he  was  well 
enough  to  travel,  we  took  the  steamer  for  Syracuse,  where 
we  arrived  on  the  20th. 

Syracuse,  April  24.  We  are  now  in  far-famed  Syracuse. 
I  am  enchanted  with  the  place.  No  wonder  that  the  Greeks, 
with  their  keen  love  for  the  beautiful,  built  their  city  here, 
for  the  situation  is  so  striking,  and  the  harbor  splendid. 
There  is  every  probability  that  it  will  be  the  chosen  station 
for  the  fleet  of  United  Italy.  This  town  brings  the  power 
of  ancient  days  vividly  before  me.  The  Cathedral  is  built 
out  of  an  old  temple  to  Minerva.  The  enormous  Doric  col- 
umns, built  six  hundred  years  B.C.,  are  still  to  be  seen  im- 
bedded in  the  walls.  No  modern  columns  can  be  compared 
to  these,  so  gigantic  and  severely  grand.  Once  or  twice  the 
earthquakes  have  striven  to  dislodge  them,  and  have  suc- 
ceeded so  far  that  some  have  been  thrown  on  one  side  and 
off  their  base.  Every  where  a  column,  a  ruin,  an  old  wall, 
tells  of  the  days  when  the  Greeks  were  lords  here. 

We  met  the  other  day  ari  English  clergyman,  the  Rev.  J. 
C.  Murray  Aynsley,  and  his  wife ;  and  yesterday,  after  read- 
ing the  morning  service  of  the  Church,  we  all  went  for  a 
long  ramble,  and,  when  tired,  rested  close  to  the  shore,  un- 


64  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

der  the  shade  of  enormous  fig-trees,  through  whose  cluster- 
ing branches  we  could  see  the  deep  blue  sea.  Above  us  a 
nightingale  was  singing  most  melodiously,  and  the  ground 
was  every  where  enameled  with  flowers  of  the  most  bril- 
liant hues.  At  our  feet — for  we  sat  on  a  little  hill — were  the 
ruins  of  the  Baths  of  Diana.  Columns,  statues,  white  mar- 
ble steps,  all  lay  scattered  about.  "We  sat  and  gazed  till  my 
heart  seemed  to  overflow  with  thankfulness  at  having  been 
permitted  to  see  such  a  lovely  scene. 

"We  left  it  with  deep  regret,  and  then  continued  our  walk, 
in  the  course  of  which  we  descended  into  the  catacombs, 
which  extend  their  subterraneous  ramifications  for  miles 
and  miles.  There  were  but  few  inscriptions  and  only  one 
or  two  frescoes.  They  are  larger  and  more  regular  than 
the  catacombs  at  Rome.  The  walls  in  the  galleries  have 
large  arched  openings  at  regular  intervals,  leading  to  pas- 
sages cut  far  into  the  limestone  rock,  and  containing  num- 
bers of  stone  recesses  of  all  sizes,  once  covered  by  slabs, 
which  have  all  disappeared.  This  city  of  the  dead  awed 
and  chilled  me  to  the  heart.  After  the  long,  damp  passages, 
the  sepulchral  gloom,  the  thick,  close  air,  I  was  glad  to  as- 
cend again  into  the  land  of  the  living,  to  bask  in  its  warm, 
bright  sunshine,  to  breathe  the  sweet  perfume  of  its  flowers 
and  trees. 

"  We  rested  again  in  a  very  bower  of  Arcadian  sweets, 
where  Flora  was  still  in  her  prime."  The  ancient  quarries 
are  turned  into  gardens — and  such  gardens !  Here,  for  the 
first  time,  I  saw  the  orange  and  lemon  trees  in  their  natural 
growth,  not  topped  and  trimmed  to  produce  fruit,  but  trees 
of  a  splendid  size,  covered  with  bloom  and  fruit.  The  air 
was  deliciously  scented  by  these  and  the  beautiful  rose-trees 
(really  trees),  geraniums,  and  fig-trees.  Surrounded  by  cliffs 
hung  with  creepers  of  every  bright  and  lovely  hue,  we  fin- 


April  12  to  May.  65 

gered  long  in  this  sweet  spot,  until  evening,  creeping  softly 
and  slowly  over  the  landscape,  warned  us  to  return  home. 

Girgenti,  April  27.  We  left  Syracuse  on  the  26th  by  the 
weekly  boat.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murray  Aynsley  traveled  with 
us,  and  after  a  smooth  passage  of  twenty-four  hours  we 
came  in  sight  of  the  harbor  of  Girgenti,  which  is  not  deep 
enough  to  admit  the  steamer,  so  we  were  forced  to  land  in 
a  little  boat — to  my  eyes  dangerously  overladen  with  the 
weight  of  the  boatmen,  our  four  selves,  the  luggage,  and 
Giuseppe  and  his  personal  belongings  (consisting  of  a  pair 
of  socks  we  had  given  him)  tied  up  in  a  pocket-handker- 
chief. 

As  we  approached  the  pier,  three  or  four  wild-looking 
men  sprang  into  the  boat  and  almost  overset  it.  A  regular 
fight  now  began  for  our  luggage ;  fortunately,  the  boatmen 
took  our  part  in  the  dispute  that  ensued.  I  stood  a  little 
apart,  keeping  close  to  two  of  the  gens-d'armes,  whose  load- 
ed revolvers  bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  what  we  had  been 
told  at  Palermo — that  whoever  comes  to  Girgenti  must  ex- 
pect to  meet  cattiva  gente.  The  luggage  was  at  last  put  on 
a  truck  and  wheeled  toward  the  Dogana,  but  here,  as  else- 
where, owing  to  the  credentials  kindly  given  to  us  by  the 
Marquis  d'Azeglio,  it  was  not  examined,  and  W 's  nega- 
tives escaped  the  rough  handling  of  the  custom-house  officers. 

We  now  looked  round  for  some  means  of  conveyance  to 
the  town,  which  we  saw  proudly  towering  on  a  hill  about 
four  miles  off.  Its  appearance  at  this  distance,  with  its  cas- 
tellated buildings  and  lordly  mansions,  enchanted  us — a 
charm  soon  to  be  cruelly  dispelled  on  a  nearer  view.  We 
heard  at  the  Dogana  that  there  was  no  carriage  here,  and 
that  we  must  send  to  Girgenti  for  one.  Poor  Giuseppe, 
greatly  against  his  will,  was  dispatched  on  this  errand.  I 
do  not  know  whether  the  long  walk  up  the  hill  or  the  fear 


66  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

of  brigands  weighed  most  on  his  mind.  He  started  at 
twelve  o'clock,  and  we  sat  on  chairs  placed  in  the  open  air 
for  us,  and  whiled  away  the  time  talking  to  the  head  of  the 
Dogana,  who,  like  all  other  officials  we  met  with,  seemed 
thoroughly  discontented  with  his  position.  One  o'clock 
came,  two,  three,  four ;  we  grew  wearied  and  hungry,  and 
the  gentlemen  went  in  search  of  food,  while  we  kept  guard 
over  our  boxes.  They  returned  with  a  little  bread  and 
cheese,  and  then  wished  to  go  in  seai'ch  of  Giuseppe,  but  we 
were  too  much  afraid  of  brigands  to  allow  them  to  leave  us. 
Five  o'clock  canie — no  Giuseppe ;  but  at  six,  just  as  we  were 
giving  up  all  hopes  of  his  appearance  that  night,  we  saw  him 
coming  slowly  toward  us  with  a  doleful  face,  and  the  un- 
pleasant information  that  there  were  but  two  carriages  in 
the  town,  and  both  these  were  engaged.  The  hotels,  too, 
were  full,  and  not  a  room  to  be  had  in  the  place.  We  were 
faii-ly  at  our  wits'  end,  when,  happily  for  us,  the  consul  drove 
by,  and,  seeing  our  disconsolate  position,  offered  to  take  us 
to  the  town,  while  our  husbands  walked  with  the  small  cart 
which  had  been  secured  to  carry  the  luggage. 

After  a  wearisome  drive  up  the  steep  hill,  we  entered  the 
old  gateway,  and,  passing  through  the  crowd  of  people 
lounging  round  it,  drove  to  the  consul's  through  the  filthy 
streets.  After  fruitless  endeavors  to  get  apartments  at  one 
of  the  hotels,  we  accepted  the  offer  of  an  old  man  to  let  us 
two  rooms.  "We  were  led  down  a  narrow  alley,  and  picked 
our  way  in  disgust  through  black  pools  of  water  emitting 
the  most  villainous  odors.  The  rooms  were  dirty  and  mis- 
erable, but  we  were  so  worn  out  with  fatigue  that  we  were 
thankful  for  any  shelter.  Just,  however,  as  we  were  discuss- 
ing how  we  should  manage,  Giuseppe  came  to  tell  us  that  a 
guide,  to  whom  W had  shown  some  kindness  at  Paler- 
mo, offered  to  give  up  his  room  at  the  hotel  to  us. 


April  12  to  May.  67 

Thinking  we  should  be  more  comfortable  there,  we  ac- 
cepted the  offer,  but  were  not  much  better  off,  for  the  win- 
dow looked  into  an  alley  similar  to  the  one  which  led  to  the 
old  man's  house,  and  the  door  opened  into  the  salle-a-man- 
ger,  where  eating  was  going  on  all  day  long,  and  into  which, 
when  supper  Avas  over,  the  servants  brought  planks,  turning 
it  into  a  well-filled  sleeping-room,  so  that  our  chance  of  ob- 
taining fresh  air  was  very  small.  We  were  obliged  to  re- 
main, as  the  steamer  called  at  Girgenti  only  once  a  week, 
and  we  were  told  it  would  be  madness  to  attempt  a  land  jour- 
ney across  the  island  to  Palermo.  We  could  only  do  it  by 
engaging  a  very  large  escort  of  soldiers,  and  even  then  there 
would  be  every  probability  of  our  being  attacked  and  per- 
haps taken  by  the  brigands ;  so  we  made  the  best  of  our  sit- 
uation, and  engaged  a  carriage  to  take  us  early  every  morn- 
ing to  the  Temples,  where  we  spent  the  whole  day,  enjoying 
the  pure  air  and  exquisite  scenery.  I  used  to  lie  down  among 
the  red  clover,  feasting  my  eyes  on  the  beautiful  ruins,  all  of 
which  are  on  rising  ground  commanding  a  view  of  the  sea 
on  one  side,  and  the  wide  plain  thickly  planted  with  almond- 
trees,  just  then  in  their  tender  spring  beauty,  on  the  other, 
the  picturesque  town  crowning  the  summit  of  the  lofty  hill, 
and  forming  a  fitting  background  to  the  picture. 

May  2.  We  invited  the  consul  and  his  family  to  a  picnic 
yesterday,  and  passed  a  very  pleasant  day.  The  town,  de- 
spite its  dirt  and  smells,  is  very  amusing,  for  the  inhabitants 
live  in  the  streets,  where  they  discuss  their  own  and  neigh- 
bors' affairs  with  the  utmost  energy.  To-day  we  went  to 
the  sulphur  mines  ;  but  I,  having  learned  by  former  experi- 
ence in  Tyrol  to  dread  the  atmosphere  of  a  mine,  declined 
accompanying  the  others  in  their  descent.  They  came  back 
horrified  at  the  sight  of  children  of  from  six  to  twelve  years 
of  age  toiling  under  loads  of  from  TO  to  100  lbs.     We  aft- 


68  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

erward  visited  the  excavations  carried  on  by  Mr.  Dennis. 
Nothing  of  any  importance  had  been  discovered,  though 
tombs  and  rows  of  houses  are  scattered  all  over  the  fields 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town. 

Our  week  passed  quickly,  and  the  morning  of  our  depart- 
ure arrived.  We  began  to  think  we  should  have  a  little 
trouble  about  settling  our  bill,  as  we  had  not  been  satisfied 

with  the  conduct  of  the  landlord,  and  W 's  great-coat 

had  been  stolen  from  the  hotel.  Our  fears  were  verified ;  a 
most  exorbitant  bill  was  brought,  every  thing  being  charged 
half  as  much  again  as  we  had  paid  at  the  best  hotel  in  Paler- 
mo, and  many  things  put  doAvn  which  we  had  never  had. 
Mr.  Aynsley  and  my  husband  determined  not  to  be  imposed 
upon ;  but,  to  their  surprise,  the  landlord,  at  the  first  objec- 
tion made,  said,  "  Refer  it  to  the  English  consul."  They  ac- 
cordingly went,  but  were  surprised  at  this  gentleman's  sup- 
porting the  landlord  in  his  attempt  at  imposition.  They 
would  not  give  in,  and  returned  to  the  hotel,  where  we 
were  waiting  in  the  carriage.  They  then  laid  down  the 
proper  amount,  due  according  to  the  tariff  of  prices  estab- 
lished every  where  in  the  island,  and,  as  the  coachman  re- 
fused to  drive  on,  and  a  crowd  assembled  round  us,  we  got 
out  and  walked,  our  luggage  having  been  sent  on  in  the 
morning.  We  had  not  got  half  way  down  the  zigzag  path 
cut  in  the  hill  when  we  saw  the  landlord  and  some  of  his 
men  pursuing  us.  They  came  up  with  us,  vociferating  and 
gesticulating  fiercely,  and  some  one,  pretending  to  be  an  of- 
ficial, stopped  our  luggage ;  we  appealed  to  the  vice-consul, 
who  took  our  part ;  but,  fearful  of  losing  the  boat,  the  gen- 
tlemen consented  to  pay  an  extra  Napoleon,  and  we  embark- 
ed, feeling  that  the  reputation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Girgenti 
was  a  well-earned  one. 

The  boat  was  crowded  with  soldiers,  officers  and  their 


April  12  to  May.  69 

■wives,  the  latter  all  young  and  very  pretty,  and  it  was  most 
amusing  to  see  one  mamma  after  another,  when  tired  of  her 
baby,  handing  the  little  creature  over  to  a  great,  tall  soldier, 
who  walked  away  with  a  grim  smile  of  satisfaction  over- 
spreading his  countenance  as  the  baby  clutched  vigorously 
at  his  mustache  and  gay  cap.  I  heard  afterward  that  these 
soldiers  were  the  only  nurses  the  babies  had,  and  most  effi- 
cient and  tender  ones  they  proved. 

I  could  not  help  thinking  that  this  certainly  was  an  ad- 
vantage for  the  soldier.  His  being  brought  into  such  near 
contact  with  ladies  and  children  must  humanize  him.  The 
enlistment  of  the  young  men  for  soldiers,  instead  of  being, 
as  the  ignorant  peasants  think,  a  great  hardship,  is,  on  the 
contrary,  a  very  great  benefit  for  them.  The  poor  ignorant 
boy  is  taken  away  from  his  village,  where  he  has  grown  up 
in  perfect  ignorance,  and,  besides  having  his  mind  opened 
by  contact  with  others,  fares  altogether  far  better  than  if  he 
were  to  remain  all  his  days  at  home. 

Soon  after  this  we  left  Sicily  for  Naples,  where  we  arrived 
without  experiencing  any  adventures  worth  recording. 


70  English  2yravelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens. 

Ride  from  Salerno  to  Paestum. — Our  Escort. — The  Temples. — Forebod- 
ings.— "Many  a  true  Word  spoken  in  Jest." — Our  Escort  deserts  us. 
— The  Reason  why. — The  Brigands  at  last ! — The  Capture. — Conduct 
of  the  Italian  Troops. — The  truly  Unprotected. — The  Village  Doctor. 
— A  new  Cure  for  Fright. — Two  trying  Days  for  Wives. — Release  of 
one  of  the  Captives. — Mr.  Moens  retained  as  a  Hostage. 

May  19.  When  we  had  been  a  few  days  at  Naples,  we 
thought  of  starting  again  on  our  tour,  and  accordingly,  on 
the  14th  of  May,  we  traveled  by  rail  to  Salerno,  intending, 
if  possible,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  renowned  ruins  of  Paestum. 
We  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Vittoria,  and  next  morning  we 
started  on  our  proposed  excursion  about  8  A.M.,  having  re- 
ceived the  most  positive  assurances,  both  from  the  authori- 
ties at  Naples  and  the  hotel-keeper  at  Salerno,  that  the  road 
to  Paestum  was  perfectly  safe,*  and  guarded  by  soldiers 
throughout. 

Our  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murray  Aynsley,  my 
husband  and  myself.  As  I  got  into  the  carriage,  I  said  in 
English,  "I  hope  we  shall  escape  the  brigands."  To  my 
surprise,  the  porter  answered  me  in  my  own  language — 
"  Oh,  no  fear,  lady,  the  road  is  safe ;  parties  are  going  ev- 
ery day  from  here  to  visit  the  temples."  I  had  no  real  fear 
for  myself,  but  merely  made  the  observation  in  joke,  as  I 
had  always  done  when  starting  for  any  of  our  expeditions 
in  Sicily. 

*  In  Appendix  A  will  be  found  copies  of  the  notices  which  were  posted 
up  in  the  Hotel  Vittoria. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens.  73 

The  road  from  Salerno  to  Paestum  is  most  uninteresting ; 
no  hills — nothing  but  a  dusty  plain.  "We  had  three  horses 
to  our  carriage,  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  jingling 
bells.  How  I  hated  the  sound  of  bells  afterward  !  They 
always  brought  back  to  my  mind  this  dreadful  day.  We 
were  escorted  the  whole  way  to  Psestum  by  soldiers,  who 
joined  us  on  the  road  when  a  little  distance  from  Salerno, 
asking  our  coachman  where  we  were  going.  Although  they 
thus  accompanied  us,  they  did  not  warn  us  of  any  danger, 
notwithstanding  that  (as  we  afterward  discovered)  they 
were  fully  aware  of  the  presence  of  a  band  of  brigands  in 
the  neighborhood,  two  Italian  gentlemen  having  been  cap- 
tured by  them  a  week  previously.  We  arrived  at  the  tem- 
ples at  eleven  o'clock,  and  spent  the  whole  day  among  them, 
my  husband  amusing  himself  in  taking  photographs  of  them, 
one  of  the  carbineers  being  all  the  time  in  the  temples  in  at- 
tendance on  us. 

The  day  was  hot  and  sultry.  I  could  not  walk  a  step 
without  feeling  ill  from  the  intense  heat.  We  occupied 
ourselves  in  trying  to  find  relics  of  the  past  in  a  place  where 
some  workmen  were  excavating.  Mr.  Aynsley  picked  up  a 
ring  and  some  marble  fragments.  Two  Germans  here  join- 
ed us,  and  we  formed  a  plan  for  returning  together,  but,  for- 
tunately for  them,  this  plan  was  frustrated  by  the  willful  de- 
lay of  our  coachman.  After  we  had  taken  tea,  it  being  then 
half  past  four  o'clock,  and  the  carriage  having  been  ordered 
at  three,  the  gentlemen  grew  tired  of  waiting,  and  went  in 
search  of  the  coachman,  while  I  reclined  on  one  of  the  large 
piles  of  stones,  and  admired  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  scene 
before  me,  with  which  at  first  I  had  not  been  so  much  im- 
pressed. I  looked  through  the  massive  columns  of  the  ruin- 
ed temples  at  the  wooded  plain  beyond,  with  the  mountains 
towering  in  the  distance ;  but  a  dark  cloud  seemed  over  all. 

D 


74  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

A  feeling  of  melancholy  crept  over  me — a  foreshadowing,  I 
suppose,  of  some  coming  sorrow. 

The  carriage  at  last  arrived,  and  we  were  all  glad  to  get 
into  it  and  drive  away.  The  road  was  quite  deserted,  our 
escort  of  the  morning  having  disappeared — in  fact,  we  did 
not  see  a  single  soldier,  and  the  authorities  allowed  us  to  re- 
turn without  any  waraing  or  guard,  although  they  knew  the 
danger  we  were  running  in  so  doing.  We  heard  afterward 
that  the  troops  were  drawn  off  on  purpose  to  allow  negotia- 
tions to  be  carried  on  with  the  band  of  a  brigand  named 
Giardullo  for  the  ransom  of  Signors  Bellelli  and  Magnone. 

We  soon  began  talking  about  the  brigands  again,  and 
Mrs.  Aynsley  and  my  husband  kept  trying  to  frighten  me 
by  pointing  out  dangerous  places.  However,  I  never  for  a 
moment  felt  that  there  was  real  cause  for  alarm,  and  so  we 
talked  and  laughed  about  the  brigands  just  as  careless,  un- 
thinking people  talk  about  their  own  death,  never  realiz- 
ing the  possibility  of  its  being  at  hand.     Mrs.  Aynsley  and 

W were  in  high  spirits,  and  at  last,  tired  of  teasing  me, 

told  me  that  we  had  passed  all  the  dangerous  places,  and 
one  wood  in  particular  that  had  been  always  notorious  as 
an  ambush. 

I  was  very  tired,  and  so  fell  asleep,  but  was  suddenly 
roused  by  hearing  Mrs.  Aynsley  exclaim,  "  Here  really  are 
the  brigands  at  last !"  I  started  up  and  saw,  as  it  seemed 
to  me,  the  fields  on  both  sides  of  the  road  covered  with 
armed  men,  some  like  serpents  creeping  through  the  stand- 
ing corn,  and  advancing  swiftly  to  the  carriage ;  others  ris- 
ing in  all  quarters — from  out  of  the  corn,  and  from  behind 
the  tall  hedges.  They  all  closed  noiselessly  round  the  car- 
riage, pointing  their  guns  at  us.  One  man  seized  the  horses' 
heads,  and  turned  them  across  the  road.  The  coachman  did 
not  attempt  to  drive  on.     No  one  spoke.     We  were  com- 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens.  11 

pletely  surrounded.  There  could  not  have  been  less  than 
thirty  men !  I  whispered  to  my  husband,  "  Give  me  your 
watch.  I  can  hide  it."  This  watch,  which  he  much  prized,  he 
slipped  behind  the  cushions  of  the  carriage  without  answer- 
ing me.  Still  not  a  word  was  spoken.  I  said  something,  I 
know  not  what,  to  the  man  holding  the  horses'  heads.  He 
did  not  reply,  but  the  brigands  all  made  signs  to  my  hus- 
band and  Mr.  Aynsley  to  get  down.  Silently  the  coachman 
descended  and  let  down  the  steps,  saying  "scende."  Silently 
my  husband  and  Mr.  Aynsley  got  out :  the  armed  men  sui*- 
rounded  them,  and  quickly  marched  off  with  them,  one  of 
the  brigands  whispering  to  the  coachman  to  stay  there  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Till  then  I  had  been  bewildered,  look- 
ing on  what  was  taking  place  as  a  dream. 

I  now  first  realized  what  was  happening,  and  a  strong 
determination  came  over  me  that  I  would  not  be  separated 
from  my  husband.  I  sprang  out  of  the  carriage  and  rushed 
after  him  for  about  twenty  paces,  but  the  brigands  instantly 
formed  a  line  to  prevent  my  following,  and  my  husband  and 
Mr.  Aynsley,  turning  round,  implored  me  to  return.  I  felt 
powerless,  and  two  brigands  gently  and  courteously  led  me 
back  to  the  carriage,  begging  me  not  to  be  afraid,  as  they 
would  return  with  my  husband  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.* 

Once  back  in  the  carriage,  my  head  reeled,  and  I  nearly 
fainted.  Mortal  fear  came  upon  both  Mrs.  A and  my- 
self. All  we  did  at  first  was  to  pray;  then  we  looked  at 
one  another  and  asked  what  we  were  to  do.  We  hoped 
and  thought  the  brigands  would  carry  our  husbands  behind 
a  house  not  far  from  us,  take  their  money,  rings,  etc.,  make 
arrangements  for  paying  a  ransom,  and  then  send  them  back 
to  us.    We  had  heard  that  this  had  been  done  with  Mr. 

*  The  brigands  afterward  told  my  husband  that  my  conduct  was 
"madness." 


78  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

when  he  was  taken  by  brigands  at  Palermo  some  years  ago. 
We  kept  gazing  at  the  house,  and  constantly  saw  people 
coming  toward  us.  Alas !  they  were  only  peasants,  more 
than  a  hundred  of  whom  passed  while  we  were  waiting  in 
fearful  expectation,  but  no  one  took  the  slightest  notice  of 
us.*    My  heart  seemed  to  stand  still. 

About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  passed,  when  suddenly 
we  saw  a  cloud  of  dust  along  the  road,  and  heard  the  feet 
of  horses  galloping  furiously.  "  The  soldiers !"  exclaimed 
our  coachman;  and,  as  they  were  passing  us,  we  stopped 
them  with  the  terrible  news,  "The  brigands  have  taken  our 
husbands !"  "  Which  way  ?"  they  asked.  We  pointed  to 
the  house,  and  away  galloped  about  thirty  soldiers  in  hot 
pursuit.  We  now  thought  that  as  the  brigands  were  on 
foot  there  must  be  an  instant  encounter,  and  our  husbands 
would  be  restored  to  us. 

Half  an  hour  passed — then  an  hour — but  no  signs  of  the 
soldiers;  nothing  but  peasants  passing  along  the  road  on 
their  way  to  their  homes.  Hope  began  to  leave  us.  It  was 
now  seven  o'clock ;  the  night  was  drawing  on,  and  at  last 
we  reluctantly  made  up  our  minds  to  leave  the  spot,  and 
to  drive  on  to  Battipaglia,  the  nearest  village ;  there  we 
stopped  to  consult  about  our  going  on  to  Salerno,  as  the 
coachman  was  very  averse  to  our  proceeding  farther  that 
night.  I,  too,  thought  it  better  to  stop,  if  possible,  where 
we  were,  as  I  had  a  large  number  of  circular  notes  about 
me,  my  husband  having  the  letter  of  indication.  A  crowd 
surrounded  our  carriage,  but  none  showed  signs  of  sympa- 
thy. We  asked  the  most  respectable-looking  man  if  there 
was  any  place  where  we  could  pass  the  night.  He  pointed 
to  a  wretched-looking  house — one  of  the  stations  built  to 
accommodate  the  soldiers  and  their  horses. 

*  At  least  fifty  were  looking  on  when  the  brigands  surrounded  us. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moeus.  79 

There  was  a  room  over  the  stables  which  we  were  told 
we  could  have,  and  we  were  advised  to  pass  the  night  there. 
I  must  confess  that  by  this  time  my  own  nerve  had  given 
way,  and  I  longed  to  hide  myself  from  the  gaze  of  the  curi- 
ous crowd.  We  asked  every  one,  "  Have  you  informed  the 
soldiers  ?"  "  Have  you  alarmed  the  country  ?"  We  were 
assured  that  messengers  had  been  sent  in  every  direction 
with  the  news. 

One  man,  the  best  dressed  in  the  crowd,  kept  talking  ve- 
hemently to  Mrs.  Aynsley.  I  could  not  hear  what  he  said, 
but  I  thought  that  he  was  perhaps  the  owner  of  a  good 
house,  and  was  offering  us  shelter  for  the  night.  Mrs. 
Aynsley  rebuffed  him,  and,  when  we  had  driven  into  the 
stables,  I  asked  her  "  why  she  spoke  so  crossly  to  him." 
She  told  me  he  was  the  village  doctor,  and  so  importunate 
in  his  entreaties  to  be  allowed  to  bleed  us  that  she  was  at 
last  obliged  to  speak  sharply  to  him.  I  looked  at  her  color- 
less face,  and  felt  that  mine  presented  the  same  appearance, 
and  thought  bleeding  a  very  unnecessary  operation.  The 
Italian  doctors,  however,  would  seem  to  be  disciples  of  Doc- 
tor Sangrado,  as  they  always  have  recourse  to  his  favorite 
operation  after  any  great  excitement. 

A  kind  old  peasant  woman  now  advanced  to  show  us  the 
way  to  our  room ;  we  mounted  a  ladder,  and  found  our- 
selves in  a  loft,  half  filled  with  hay,  with  a  large  heap  of  In- 
dian corn  in  one  corner — in  another  a  hen  sitting  on  her 
nest.  There  was  but  one  small  window,  which  I  opened  di- 
rectly, as  the  room  felt  oppressively  hot  and  stifling.  Our 
hostess  gave  us  water  with  snow  in  it,  which  was  most  re- 
freshing, and  brought  some  clean  sheets  and  a  night-dress 
for  Mrs.  Aynsley,  who  immediately  went  to  bed.  Three  or 
four  women  came  to  us ;  among  others,  a  poor  creature 
whose  own  husband  had  been  taken,  and  who  came,  as  she 


80  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

said,  "  to  mingle  her  tears  with  ours."  I  reciprocated  her 
kind  feelings,  and  would  gladly  have  talked  with  her,  but 
the  presence  of  strangers  was  irksome  to  Mrs.  Aynsley,  who 
begged  me  to  get  rid  of  them ;  so  I  told  them  the  signora 
was  ill,  and  they  all  quietly  retired.  I  then  tried  to  make 
some  tea  with  Mrs.  Aynsley's  apparatus,  when  the  door 
again  opened  and  some  men  came  in.  Among  them  I  saw 
the  sullen  face  of  the  coachman,  whom  we  afterward  strong- 
ly suspected  of  having  been  in  league  with  the  brigands. 
They  gave  us  the  good  news  that  the  brigands  were  sur- 
rounded and  could  not  possibly  escape. 

They  went  away,  and  were  succeeded  by  two  young  offi- 
cers, with  several  of  their  men.  How  our  hearts  sank  when 
the  first  question  they  asked  us  was,  "  Which  way  did  the 
brigands  go  ?"  We  answered,  "  Why  we  told  you  at  the 
time,  round  by  the  white  house."  "We  can  not  find  them," 
was  the  reply.  "  We  have  scoured  the  country,  our  horses 
are  worn  out,  and  we  must  rest  two  hours  before  we  go  out 
again."  "Have  you  alarmed  the  country  ?"  we  asked.  "Are 
the  soldiers  guarding  the  roads  to  the  mountains  ?  Have 
you  sent  intelligence  of  what  has  happened  to  Salerno  and 
Eboli?"  Over  and  over  again  they  assured  us  that  every 
thing  had  been  done;  that  telegrams  had  been  sent;  that 
the  mountains  were  well  guarded;  all  the  soldiers  called 
out;  the  brigands  could  not  escape)  etc. ;  but  they  failed  to 
convince  me,  and  my  heart  sank.  I  wept  bitterly,  as  all 
hope  of  seeing  my  husband  left  me.  The  officers  were  kind- 
hearted  men,  and  tried  to  comfort  me.  They  begged  us  to 
keep  up  our  courage  as  they  wished  us  good-night,  promis- 
ing to  go  out  again  in  two  hours'  time  in  search  of  the 
band. 

I  could  neither  lie  down  nor  sleep,  but  sat  at  the  window, 
looking  at  the  scene  outside.     The  soldiers  were  leading 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens.  81 

their  horses  to  the  water,  or  sitting  in  groups,  smoking  and 
talking  together.  A  wandering  musician,  with  a  concerti- 
na, went  from  group  to  group,  listening  to  their  conversa- 
tion, and  after  a  time  crept  quietly  away.  I  firmly  believe 
that  this  man  was  a  spy  of  the  brigands,  as  I  noticed  that 
he  did  not  play  any  tune  correctly;  he  was  only  trying  to 
discover  what  were  the  plans  of  the  soldiers  for  the  morrow. 
After  a  time  the  soldiers  retired  to  rest,  and  Mrs.  Aynsley 
asked  me  to  read  to  her.  I  had  Fenelon's  Conseils  with  me, 
and  read  a  chapter  or  two  to  her.  (This  small  book  I  sent 
afterward  to  my  husband.)  She  fell  asleep,  and  I  returned 
again  to  my  window. 

It  was  a  lovely  night;  the  stars  were  clear  and  bright. 
At  about  three  o'clock  the  soldiers  led  out  their  horses,  and 
after  about  an  hour's  preparation  they  mounted  and  gal- 
loped out  of  sight.  Still  too  wretched  to  sleep,  I  sat  at  my 
window,  thinking  that  the  morning  would  never  dawn.  I 
could  see  the  roads  to  Psestum  and  Eboli,  along  which  num- 
bers of  peasants  passed,  either  on  foot  or  in  the  rough  coun- 
try carts.  At  last  the  stars  disappeared  one  by  one,  and  the 
welcome  sun  arose.  I  extinguished  our  curious  old  lamp, 
and  we  prepared  for  our  return  to  Salerno.  The  officers  had 
promised  us  an  escort,  and  we  waited  some  time  for  it ;  but, 
as  no  soldiers  appeared,  we  determined  to  proceed  alone. 
The  broad  daylight,  the  numbers  of  people  passing,  renewed 
our  courage,  and  we  again  took  our  places  in  the  carriage, 
after  thanking  and  rewarding  our  kind  hostess. 

On  our  way  we  met  two  or  three  carriages,  the  occupants 
of  which  we  warned  of  the  danger  attending  their  expedi- 
tion to  Paestum.  They  of  course  gave  it  up,  and  turned 
back. 

We  determined,  notwithstanding  our  dusty  condition,  to 
drive  direct  to  the  general's  at  Salerno.     The  coachman  at 

D  2 


82  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

first  demurred ;  but,  as  we  firmly  insisted,  he  was  obliged  to 
take  us.  We  trusted  that  the  general  would  be  able  to  give 
us  some  news  of  our  husbands ;  we  never  for  a  moment  sus- 
pected that  we  should  be  the  first  persons  to  convey  to  him 
the  intelligence  of  their  capture,  after  seventeen  hours  had 
elapsed  since  it  took  place.  "We  were  shown  into  a  large 
drawing-room,  and  in  a  few  minutes  General  Balegno  ap- 
peared. He  looked  rather  surprised  at  seeing  two  ladies, 
who  could  hardly  speak  for  weeping.  We  told  our  story, 
and  great  was  our  dismay  when  we  found  that  he  was  ut- 
terly ignorant  of  the  fact  of  two  Englishmen  having  been 
carried  off  in  broad  daylight  on  the  high  road  from  Salerno 
to  Psestuni — a  road  supposed  to  be  perfectly  safe,  and  guard- 
ed by  the  soldiers  under  his  command.  He  instantly  rang 
the  bell,  summoned  two  of  his  staff  officers,  and  gave  orders 
for  such  and  such  detachments  of  soldiers  to  be  sent  out  in 
pursuit,  and  not  to  return  until  our  husbands  were  free,  or 
the  brigands  prisoners.  Having  dispatched  these  officers, 
he  turned  to  us,  and  begged  us  to  be  comforted,  as  all  would 
soon  be  well. 

In  the  evening  we  had  many  visitors,  coming  to  offer  their 
help  and  sympathy.  A  deputy  of  the  Italian  Parliament  en- 
treated us  to  send  a  telegram  to  Florence  to  rouse  the  Ital- 
ian government,  and  to  beg  for  help  against  the  brigands. 
Another  gentleman,  a  resident  at  Salerno,  came  to  comfort 
us  by  telling  us  that  he  too  had  been  taken  by  the  brigands, 
and  had  escaped  from  them  unhurt  by  paying  a  ransom. 
We  were  just  retiring  for  the  night  when  a  messenger  ar- 
rived with  a  letter  for  Mrs.  Aynsley,  containing  the  joyful 
intelligence  that  her  husband  was  free,  and  would  be  with 
her  early  the  next  morning,  the  brigands  having  liberated 
him  to  raise  the  ransom  for  my  husband  and  himself. 

I  was   dressing  the  next  morning  when  Mrs.  Aynsley 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens.  83 

rushed  into  my  room,  exclaiming, "  Good  news !  good  news ! 
they  are  both  coming !  I  have  seen  them  in  the  carriage." 
I  rushed  out  into  the  passage ;  the  stairs  and  landing-place 
were  crowded  with  people.  I  saw  Mrs.  Aynsley  in  her  hus- 
band's arms.  I  gazed,  oh !  how  eagerly,  into  all  the  faces 
that  were  turned  toward  us,  but  I  did  not  see  the  one  I 
looked  for,  and  I  returned  into  my  room  with  that  deadly 
feeling  of  disappointment  which  makes  the  heart  sick.  I 
sank  on  the  sofa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aynsley  came  into  my 
room,  but  for  some  time  I  could  not  speak  to  them ;  at  last 
I  managed  to  shake  Mr.  Aynsley's  hand  warmly,  and  con- 
gratulated him  on  his  escape;  but  I  had  not  the  heart  to 
ask  him  how  it  was  that  he  had  returned  alone,  and  that  my 
husband  was  still  with  the  brigands. 

He  then  proceeded  to  tell  us  his  adventures,  which  will 
be  found  fully  detailed  in  my  husband's  diary. 


84  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Diaey  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20. 

The  Capture. — The  first  Night's  Sleep  alfresco. — Delicate  Attentions. — 
The  Englishmen's  Fellow-prisoners. — The  Captain  commences  Busi- 
ness.— Value  of  Englishmen  in  Italy. — Choice  of  Hostage  by  Lot. — 
Release  of  Mr.  Aynsley. — Skirmish  with  the  Troops. — I  am  detached 
from  the  Band. — A  wet  Night  in  the  Mountains. — Brigand  Diet. — 
Two  more  Fellow-captives. — The  Brigands'  Dress  and  Arms. — The 
Ladies. — Sheep -killing. — Gambling. — The  Brigands'  Anxiety  about 
my  Health. — My  Friends  Pavone  and  Scope. 

May  15.  We  had  ordered  the  carriage  to  be  at  the  tem- 
ples at  three  o'clock,  but  it  did  not  come  till  four.  We  had 
nearly  reached  Battipaglia,  observing,  to  our  great  astonish- 
ment, that  there  were  no  soldiers  about  as  in  the  morning, 
when  all  at  once,  about  five  miles  from  Scafa,  the  ferry  over 
the  River  Sele,  we  saw  a  number  of  men  creeping  out  of 
the  corn  on  the  east  side  of  the  road ;  they  pointed  their 
guns  at  us,  and,  quickly  coming  up  to  the  carriage,  turned 
the  horses  across  the  road.  More  men  now  advanced,  and 
the  coachman  got  down,  opened  the  carriage  door,  saying 
Scende.  Mr.  Aynsley  and  I  had  to  get  out,  I  having  in- 
stinctively taken  off  my  watch  and  left  it  in  the  carriage. 

We  were  dragged  away  at  once,  but,  on  looking  back,  I 

saw  to  my  grief  that  A had  jumped  out  and  wanted  to 

come  with  me ;  she  was  stopped  by  the  brigands,  who  said 
to  her,  "  Non  avetepaura,  Signorina,  non  avetepaura."  I 
wanted  to  return  for  a  minute,  but  the  brigands  would  not 
let  me.  We  were  hurried  away  up  a  lane  on  the  west  side 
of  the  road  toward  the  sea,  past  a  house.     (The  carriage  was 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20. 


85 


stopped  near  wood-carts,  on  the  top  of  one  of  which  a  man 
was  placed  to  give  notice  when  we  were  coming.  We  had 
passed  these  carts  near  the  river  in  the  morning.)  Almost 
immediately  after  leaving  the  high  road,  Luzzo,  a  proprietor 
living  at  Battipaglia,  was  taken  by  the  brigands,  and  a  min- 
ute after  a  young  man,  who  was  seen  about  200  yards  off  in 
a  field,  was  also  captured. 

We  were  then  pushed  along  at  a  fast  pace  toward  the 
sea,  over  fields  and  through  thickets,  the  best  path  always 
being  left  for  us.  When  at  last  we  were  allowed  to  rest  a 
little,  the  captain  of  the  band  (whose  name  I  found  to  be 
Gaetano  Manzo)  gave  us  each  a  very  large  cloak,  called  a 


GAETANO  MANZO. 


capote,  usually  worn  by  the  peasants,  to  sit  on.  We  took 
this  opportunity  of  asking  the  captain  what  he  wanted  with 
us.  He  rubbed  his  right  thumb  and  finger  together,  and 
said  "Denaro;  non  temete."    I  asked  how  much  farther  we 


86  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

had  to  walk.  The  answer  was  "  Lontano,  lontano  assaiP 
I,  joking,  said  I  hoped  he  had  horses  to  carry  us.  He  nod- 
ded his  head,  " Si,  si"  They  were  all  very  kind  in  their 
manner,  always  addressing  us  as  "  Signori,"  putting  a  strong 
accent  on  the  last  syllable.  We  rested  about  ten  minutes, 
and  Luzzo,  shivering  a  great  deal,  asked  for  a  capote,  saying 
thei-e  was  much  malaria  about.  We  also  put  on  our  ca- 
potes. 

Soon  after  starting  again  we  had  to  pass  several  wet 
places.  It  was  getting  dark  when  we  came  to  a  river  (the 
Tusciano)  running  very  fast,  about  ten  or  twelve  yards  wide. 
They  carried  us  over  on  their  shoulders,  and  we  rested  again 
on  the  other  side  and  drank  some  water.  Here  I  tore  up 
my  letter  of  indication,  as  well  as  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
One  of  the  principal  bankers  at  Naples,  and  other  letters, 
thinking  it  more  prudent  to  do  so  than  to  keep  them  about 
me.  I  put  the  pieces  into  my  gloves,  and  threw  them  away 
as  opportunity  offered. 

On  we  went  again,  passing  over  swampy  ground  and  deep 
ditches,  which  we  jumped  easily,  much  to  the  amusement 
of  the  brigands,  who  can  not  jump.  They  laughed  heartily 
at  our  agility,  and  still  more  heartily  when  one  of  their  own 
party  fell  into  a  ditch.  When  we  were  near  the  sea  we 
passed  a  house,  and  one  man  who  was  sent  to  visit  it  brought 
back  a  quantity  of  dark-colored,  hard  dry  bread,  in  shape  like 
small  penny  rolls.  These  were  distributed,  and  we  walked 
on  again  for  some  time,  and  presently  came  to  cultivated 
land.  It  was  very  dark  now,  and  we  could  not  see  our  path 
by  the  side  of  a  running  brook,  so  they  gave  me  a  long  stick, 
which  was  a  great  help.  We  passed  near  some  houses,  dogs 
barking  as  we  approached.  Two  or  three  men  were  sent 
on  in  advance,  and  we  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  band, 
who  all  walked  in  Indian  file. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  87 

The  advanced  guard  were  making  signals  continually. 
The  brigands'  peculiar  call-note  is  made  by  uniting  the  tips 
of  thumb  and  forefinger  of  left  hand,  and  then  kissing  loud- 
ly the  third  joint  of  the  forefinger.  We  were  often  stopped 
till  the  road  was  considered  secure.  As  it  was  getting  to- 
ward midnight  the  caution  increased,  and  when  we  neared 
the  main  road  still  greater  vigilance  was  exercised,  and  we 
halted  while  the  great  highway  was  examined.  We  were 
then  taken  across.  The  same  precautions  were  used  when 
we  approached  the  Eboli  road,  after  crossing  which  we 
came  upon  a  patch  of  cabbage  and  onions.  "Digitate" 
was  the  command  from  the  captain,  and  the  spot  was  soon 
stripped.  A  little  hard  cabbage  was  handed  over  to  me, 
with  some  garlic,  which  I  put  in  my  pocket. 

On  we  went  past  a  large  farm-house.  I  looked  out  for  a 
chance  to  escape,  but  they  saw  as  well  by  night  as  by  day, 
and  had  we  attempted  to  have  left  the  ranks  our  fate  would 
have  been  to  have  had  a  few  shots  sent  into  us,  which  would 
have  left  our  bodies  a  prey  to  the  worms.  We  halted  be- 
fore daybreak  on  the  banks  of  a  rapidly  flowing  stream,  and 
we  were  told  to  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep  among  some  osiers. 
The  ground  was  very  damp,  so  we  objected,  and  were  al- 
lowed to  sleep  on  the  dry  bank ;  but  at  daybreak  we  were 
made  to  descend  and  conceal  ourselves  with  the  band. 
Branches  were  stuck  in  the  ground  to  make  the  cover 
thicker. 

As  I  was  lying  fast  asleep,  I  was  awakened  and  startled 
by  feeling  a  man's  hand  pass  over  my  chest  and  ribs.  My 
moving  disturbed  the  man,  and  he  left  me.  I  mentioned 
this  to  Mr.  Aynsley.  We  did  not  like  it  at  all ;  I  was  so 
tired,  however,  that  I  soon  fell  sound  asleep  again.  Mr. 
Aynsley  was  not  so  fortunate.  He  told  me  the  next  morn- 
ing he  could  not  sleep  after  this  incident.    I  believe  now  the 


88  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

man  was  trying  to  find  if  I  had  a  pistol.  My  first  night's 
rest  in  the  open  air  was  excellent.  I  little  thought  how 
many  I  should  have  to  pass  far  less  comfortably  before  I 
saw  a  bed  again. 

The  first  operation  in  the  morning  was  to  collect  all  the 
bread  and  then  divide  it  into  shares.  "We  were  treated  like 
the  rest.  The  bread  was  so  hard  that  they  soaked  it  before 
eating  it.  They  now  continually  asked  us  about  our  prop- 
erty. At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  made  a  move,  and  walked 
in  Indian  file  through  a  highly  cultivated  country. 

After  two  hours  there  was  a  halt,  and  the  captain  asked 
us  how  much  money  we  had  at  Salerno.  "We  told  them  our 
stock  of  gold,  but  they  would  only  believe  in  our  being  rich 
lords.  They  wanted  also  to  know  what  was  the  matter  with 
my  hands.  I  explained  to  them  that  I  had  been  photograj^h- 
ing  all  day  long  at  Paestum,  and  the  chemicals  had  stained 
my  hands,  and  that  if  I  had  been  a  lord  I  should  have  had 
somebody  to  do  it  for  me.  One  brigand  said,  "  Look  at  his 
hands ;  they  are  black,  indeed ;  his  trowsers  (they  were  gray 
flannel),  too,  are  like  what  prisoners  wear,  and  they  are  all 
worn  out, povero  uomo!"  The  captain  and  the  rest  seemed 
rather  disappointed,  but  said,  "  "We  will  see ;  wait." 

They  offered  us  a  little  piece  of  hard  sausage  called  super- 
sato,  but,  after  discussing  its  digestible  qualities  together,  we 
told  them  that  it  would  not  agree  with  us.  They  laughed, 
and  the  captain  said,  "  They  will  like  it  by-and-by,"  which 
truly  came  to  pass.  I  never  heard  the  end  of  this ;  the  brig- 
ands never  forgot  the  two  Englishmen  discussing  the  whole- 
someness  of  the  sausage.  We  started  again,  passing  by  some 
men,  an  old  woman,  and  two  girls ;  the  old  woman  was  sent 
for  water,  which  she  brought  in  a  broken  fiasco.  "We  were 
very  thirsty,  for  it  was  a  very  hot  day.  We  rested  contin- 
ually, Mr.  Aynsley  always  lying  down  at  full  length  on  his 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  89 

back.  A  little  farther  on  we  found  a  spring,  and  here  they 
filled  a  wide-awake  and  brought  it  to  us.  At  last,  about 
four  o'clock,  we  reached  the  top  of  Monte  Corvino,  the 
highest  mountain  in  the  neighborhood;  a  road  ran  along 
its  base.  We  were  placed  under  the  shade  of  bushes  close 
to  a  little  spring :  on  the  merits  of  this  stream  the  brigands 
expatiated  eloquently. 

The  captain  asked  me  what  I  should  like  to  eat.  I  an- 
swered like  Sancho  Panza,  "  Some  meat,  bread,  wine,  and 
eggs."  He  told  me  I  should  have  them;  but,  alas!  like 
Sancho  Panza,  I  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  For  the 
next  three  days  we  had  scarcely  enough  to  keep  body  and 
soul  together — only  a  mouthful  each  day  of  Indian-corn 
bread.  There  was  a  goat  tethered  near  us  ready  to  be  kill- 
ed, and  the  remains  of  the  fire  which  they  had  left  when 
they  had  descended  from  the  mountains  on  their  way  to 
the  plains. 

The  captain  now  got  out  paper  and  pen,  and  commenced 
business.  He  took  poor  Luzzo  in  hand  first.  He  was  shiv- 
ering with  fear,  and  shrugging  his  shoulders  when  we  look- 
ed at  him.  All  the  band  began  by  raving  at  him,  the  cap- 
tain shrieking  at  him  and  threatening  him  with  all  kinds  of 
horrors,  and  told  him  that  12,000  ducats  was  his  price. 
Manzo  wrote  a  letter,  which  he  gave  me  to  read,  but  I  told 
him  he  had  only  asked  for  twelve  ducats,  so  I  was  request- 
ed to  write  it  again  for  him,  which  I  did.  The  other  poor 
captive  was  now  brought  forward — 8000  ducats  was  his 
price ;  they  both  sat  wringing  their  hands,  declaring  that 
such  sums  were  quite  out  of  their  power  to  give.  They 
met  with  nothing  but  ridicule  and  threats  from  the  brig- 
ands. 

It  was  now  our  turn ;  but  there  was  at  once  a  difficulty 
— "Whom  to  write  to?"     We  said  it  was  no  use  writing 


90  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  our  wives,  they  could  do  nothing  in  a  foreign  land.  We 
had  no  money  in  Naples  and  no  friends ;  one  of  us  must  go 
to  get  what  money  we  could.  When  we  heard  the  sum  de- 
manded, we  looked  at  each  other  with  horror — 100,000  duc- 
ats, equal  to  £l  7,000.  After  a  few  minutes'  conversation 
with  Sentonio,  a  tall,  clumsy  ruffian  with  black  eyes,  hair, 
and  beard,  Manzo  reduced  it  to  50,000  ducats,  or  £8500. 
This  sum,  we  said,  was  ridiculous — out  of  the  question ;  but 
we  were  told,  in  spite  of  our  protestations  to  the  contrary, 
that  we  had  2,000,000  ducats  each,  and  that  we  were  great 
lords.  We  declared  it  was  no  use  to  trust  to  our  wives  to 
raise  the  money,  as  they  did  not  speak  the  language,  and 
that  there  were  few  English  people  at  Naples,  and  no  one 
would  trust  them  as  foreigners. 

They  then  agreed  to  let  one  of  us  go  for  the  money,  and 
wanted  us  to  decide  which  it  should  be ;  but  we,  knowing 
that  whichever  offered  himself  would  be  kept  back,  were  si- 
lent. At  last  we  proposed  to  draw  lots ;  so  I  took  a  small 
twig  and  broke  it  in  two  pieces,  a  short  and  a  long  piece, 
and  we  arranged  that  the  holder  of  the  short  one  was  to 
remain  with  the  band,  and  the  holder  of  the  longer  piece 
was  to  go  and  get  the  money  for  both.  I  took  the  pieces 
of  wood,  and  holding  out  my  hand  before  me,  I  said  to  Mr. 
Aynsley, "  Draw."  He  drew  one,  and  left  the  other  (which 
was  the  shorter  of  the  two)  in  my  hand.  I  must  confess  I 
felt  as  if  I  had  been  drawing  for  my  life,  and  I  had  lost. 

I  had  to  make  up  my  mind  to  my  fate  at  once.  Mr. 
Aynsley  told  me  he  did  not  know  whether  he  could  pay  so 
much.  I  told  him  that  I  could,  and  that  I  would  advance 
his  half  for  him  till  arrangements  could  be  made.  I  told 
him  to  apply  to  a  friend  whom  I  named,  a  member  of  the 
Stock  Exchange,  for  £2500,  which  I  had  left  in  his  hands. 
I  gave  him  other  little  directions,  and  told  him  to  do  all  he 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  93 

could  for  my  wife,  placing  her  under  his  care.  Our  conver- 
sation was  interrupted  by  the  captain  being  called  by  the 
sentinel  to  come  and  look  at  about  100  soldiers  walking 
along  the  road  below.  After  a  few  minutes,  Mr.  Aynsley 
and  two  men,  to  whom  the  letters  of  Luzzo  and  the  other 
captive  were  given,  were  hurried  away.  His  last  words 
were,  "  Remember,  whatever  is  paid,  we  each  pay  half." 

I  was  put  under  charge  of  four  or  five  men,  and  ordered 
off  to  the  rear.  I  turned  round  and  saw  Mr.  Aynsley  and 
his  two  guides  walking  down  the  hill.  It  was  a  trying 
moment.  I  was  now  driven  on  at  a  fast  pace,  and  in  a  min- 
ute heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  the  bullet  whizzing  over  my 
head.  This  was  from  the  soldiers  whom  Mr.  Aynsley  met 
almost  immediately  after  leaving  us.  The  brigands  answer- 
ed this,  and  there  was  a  brisk  fire.  I  tried  to  go  off  to  the 
right,  thinking  an  escape  possible,  but  was  turned  immedi- 
ately ;  my  foot  slipped,  and  I  fell  down  some  depth,  for  the 
mountain  was  very  steep,  and  all  the  stones  loose.  I  was 
very  much  shaken,  and  I  thought  my  arm  was  broken.  I 
could  hardly  move  it,  but  I  was  made  to  get  up,  and  to  the 
cry  "  Corre,  corre"  on  we  went. 

The  hill  was  very  high,  the  base  of  it  covered  with  trees. 
I  looked  up,  and  saw  the  rest  of  the  band  lining  the  top  of 
the  hill  in  skirmishing  order,  firing  as  fast  as  they  could. 
The  shots  of  the  soldiers  now  came  rattling  round  us  as  we 
passed  from  bush  to  bush  one  by  one,  and  for  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  we  had  to  run  the  gauntlet.  At  last  we  got  to  the 
bottom  of  the  mountain,  where  we  found  a  rushing  torrent 
ten  yards  wide ;  the  fire  was  too  hot  for  hesitation,  so  one 
by  one  the  brigands  waded  over.  I  had  to  follow ;  on  I 
went,  the  water  up  to  my  waist,  rushing,  foaming  over  the 
stones,  and  the  bullets  splashing  into  it  on  all  sides  of  me. 
I  do  believe  the  soldiers  took  special  aim  at  me,  the  tallest 


94  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

of  the  party.  My  death  would  no  doubt  have  saved  them 
considerable  trouble.  Had  it  not  been  for  my  stick,  I  should 
have  been  carried  away  by  the  force  of  the  stream ;  as  it 
was,  I  had  to  cross  in  an  oblique  direction,  landing  on  the 
other  side  only  two  yards  above  a  waterfall  of  some  height. 
The  brigand  who  followed  me  was  washed  down,  and  went 
head  over  heels  over  the  fall,  but  he  was  not  much  hurt,  and 
scrambled  out  below.  The  others  passed  over  safely,  and 
we  hurried  up  the  steep  ascent  over  the  other  side  for  some 
considerable  distance  till  we  were  concealed  among  the 
trees,  and  safe  from  the  fire  of  the  troops.  I  thanked  God 
for  my  escape  from  my  rescuers,  and  felt  any  thing  but 
charitably  disposed  toward  their  rulers,  who  ought  years 
ago  to  have  cleared  their  country  from  these  ruffians,  in- 
stead of  leaving  them  alone  till  they  carried  off  an  English- 
man. 

We  rested  among  the  trees  until  nightfall.  At  sunset 
we  saw  about  two  hundred  soldiers  in  a  body  ascending 
the  opposite  bank  by  a  path  from  the  stream.  They  cheer- 
ed as  they  marched  along.  I  turned  to  the  brigands  and 
said,  "You  have  lost  some  comrades."  They  did  not  choose 
to  admit  this.  After  dark  some  more  shots  were  heard, 
and  the  band  was  surprised  again.  The  other  prisoners 
managed  to  escape.  Lucky  fellows,  they  were  but  small 
fry,  and  were  forgotten  in  the  excitement  of  the  fight ;  but 
the  greatest  care  was  taken  of  me.  I  was  never  allowed  a 
chance  for  a  moment.  When  it  was  dark,  we  saw  the  biv- 
ouac fire  of  the  troops.  We  had  no  fire,  but  lay  down  un- 
der our  capotes,  I  lying  between  two  men.  We  soon  forgot 
our  fatigue  in  sleep,  and  an  hour  before  sunrise  I  was  waked 
up,  stiff  from  the  cold  and  wet,  for  the  passage  through  the 
river  had  thoroughly  soaked  me.  The  walking,  however, 
warmed  us,  and  after  an  hour's  march,  by  which  time  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  95 

day  had  dawned,  we  reached  a  spot  hidden  by  broom,  all 
golden  with  the  yellow  blossoms.  It  was  a  lovely  place, 
the  ground  mossy,  and  covered  with  luxuriant  creepers, 
graceful  ferns,  and  foxgloves.  Here  we  rested,  a  murmur- 
ing stream  running  below. 

The  ferns  were  at  least  ten  feet  high.  '  I  laid  down  and 
tried  to  sleep,  but  my  thoughts  would  not  allow  me.  I  kept 
thinking  of  the  desolate  situation  of  my  wife,  and  of  the  anx- 
iety that  would  be  felt  by  my  family  in  England.  I  looked 
round  for  a  chance  of  escaping,  and  edged  off  as  far  as  I 
could  from  the  men,  but  the  slightest  movement  caused  them 
to  look  after  me  with  the  cry  Che  fate?  "We  were  on  the 
edge  of  a  hill,  at  the  base  of  which  ran  the  rivulet,  crossed 
by  a  rude  bridge  formed  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  We  saw 
soldiers  passing  at  intervals  all  day  in  small  bodies,  eight  or 
ten  at  a  time,  over  the  bridge  and  along  a  bridle-path  near. 
It  struck  me  that  I  might  run  off  and  cry  out  to  the  sol- 
diers ;  but  it  was  soon  intimated  to  me  by  the  brigands 
(they  must  have  divined  wThat  was  passing  in  my  mind)  that 
if  I  attempted  to  escape  I  should  be  shot  at  once.  I  noticed 
that  the  soldiers  looked  like  mites,  thus  showing  the  great 
height  of  the  mountain,  and  the  distance  we  were  from 
them.  I  now  turned  my  attention  to  nearer  objects,  look- 
ing at  the  violets  and  forget-me-nots.  I  then  read  my  Pray- 
er-book, which  I  had  found  in  my  pocket.  This  was  a  great 
find,  and  afforded  me  the  greatest  comfort  throughout  my 
captivity.  I  read  some  of  the  Psalms,  which  brought  tears 
to  my  eyes.  The  brigands  soon  perceived  this,  and  entreat- 
ed me  not  to  be  down-hearted,  as  they  would  not  hurt  me 
if  they  got  the  money  soon.  I  told  them  that  it  was  not 
fear,  but  grief  for  what  my  wife  was  suffering  on  my  ac- 
count. Talking,  however,  was  not  my  humor  then,  and  I 
would  say  no  more  to  them,  but  returned  to  my  sad  medita- 
tions. 


96  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

A  little  animal  now  came  to  make  friends  with  me.  I 
heard  a  slight  rustle  in  some  broom  by  my  side.  I  looked 
round  and  saw  the  sleekest  little  mouse  perched  on  the 
branch  of  a  shrub  of  broom.  It  was  of  a  fawn  color,  with 
the  brightest  black  eyes,  and  apparently  very  tame.  As  long 
as  I  looked  at  it  it  never  moved,  and  only  stirred  when  I  put 
my  hand  near  it,  and  then  it  only  ran  down  the  stem,  but 
soon  returned  again.  I  felt  very  friendly  to  this  little  crea- 
ture when  I  saw  how  beautifully  and  perfectly  it  was  form- 
ed. I  then  thought  of  its  Creator,  who  had  called  it  into 
being,  and  who,  as  a  benevolent  Deity,  had  provided,  as 
might  be  expected,  for  its  nourishment.  I  drew  consola- 
tion from  this  thought  of  God's  care.  My  attention  was 
drawn  off  from  my  little  friend  by  the  soldiers,  and  when  I 
looked  again  he  had  gone,  and  did  not  return.  I  felt  very 
hungry,  for  I  had  had  no  food  since  yesterday.  I  kept  ask- 
ing for  bread,  but  was  told  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  any 
on  account  of  the  troops  who  were  continually  patroling 
round  us ;  but  I  kept  asking  all  day,  for  I  felt  it  was  nothing 
to  me  what  risk  they  ran  in  getting  food.  At  last  my  friend 
Justi,  who  always  pitied  me,  said  he  would  go  and  try  to 
get  some.  "  There  are  kind  hearts  every  where."  He  ask- 
ed me  if  I  had  any  money.  I  gave  him  a  two-franc  piece, 
but  he  said  that  was  not  enough,  so  I  gave  him  five  francs, 
and  off  he  went.  In  about  an  hour  he  returned  with  some- 
thing tied  up  in  a  cotton  handkerchief,  which  proved  to  be 
Indian-corn  bread  broken  in  pieces.  It  seemed  delicious, 
for  I  was  almost  starving.  I  had  no  scruple  about  eating 
more  than  my  share,  and  I  put  some  into  my  pocket,  but  a 
very  small  portion,  as  the  whole  quantity  brought  was  very 
little,  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave  some  for  them.  The  old 
proverb  is  very  true, "  Hunger  is  the  best  sauce."  No  gour- 
mand ever  enjoyed  his  perigord  pie  as  I  did  my  dry  crusts 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moetis,  May  15  to  20.  97 

in  the  mountains.  The  flavor  was  exquisitely  nice.  It  was 
now  getting  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  some  more  soldiers 
passed.  When  once  they  were  out  of  sight,  we  began  to 
descend  the  mountain,  keeping  as  much  under  cover  as  we 
could.  I  now  saw  how  little  chance  I  should  ever  have  of 
escaping  from  the  brigands.  They  ran  down  the  mountain 
like  goats,  while  I  had  to  be  careful  to  pick  my  way  at  every 
step.  How  could  I  hope  to  run  away  under  these  circum- 
stances ? 

Accustomed  to  mountains  from  their  earliest  youth,  they 
were  as  sure-footed  as  the  goats,  and  had  eyes  like  cats; 
darkness  and  light,  daytime  or  night,  made  not  the  slightest 
difference  to  them.  Their  hearing,  too,  was  most  acute. 
This  sense  they  had  cultivated  to  such  a  pitch,  that,  like  the 
red  Indians,  the  slightest  rustle  of  the  leaves,  the  faintest 
sound,  never  escaped  their  notice.  Men  miles  distant  work- 
ing in  the  fields,  or  mowing  the  grass,  they  could  distinguish 
with  the  greatest  ease.  They  knew  generally  who  they 
were,  young  and  old,  and  to  what  village  they  belonged ; 
when  I,  perhaps,  could  barely  distinguish  living  beings, 
they  could  describe  all  their  motions.  We  crossed  the 
stream  again  at  dusk,  and  walked  along  the  path  lately  trav- 
ersed by  the  troops  for  some  distance,  and  then  turned  off 
to  the  left,  through  a  very  thick  wood,  ascending  for  some 
hours.  At  last  we  reached  the  summit ;  the  brigands  now 
stopped,  and  there  was  hesitation  and  doubt  in  their  man- 
ner. I  could  perceive  that  they  did  not  know  the  road  ex- 
actly. The  direction  we  were  pursuing,  namely,  N.W., 
would  have  led  us  to  a  sheer  precipice.  After  a  little  con- 
sultation, a  divergence  to  the  westward  was  pronounced 
feasible.  I  declared  it  impossible ;  but,  seeing  two  of  them 
descend,  I,  for  the  honor  of  my  country,  followed. 

It  was  so  steep  that  we  had  to  descend  by  aid  of  our 
E 


98  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

hands,  with  our  faces  to  the  mountain ;  in  fact,  I  turned  my- 
self from  a  biped  into  a  four-legged  animal.  The  old  adage 
came  to  my  mind,  "You  never  know  what  you  can  do  till 
you  try."  Without  the  assistance  of  the  bushes  and  trees 
that  grew  there,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  descend. 
After  a  tiresome  descent  of  an  hour  in  the  dark  (for  there 
was  no  moon),  we  reached  the  bottom.  As  far  as  I  could 
make  out,  it  was  a  curious,  picturesque  spot,  the  mountains 
rising  all  around,  and  on  the  south  side  a  great  square  block 
of  stone  jutting  out  like  a  castle. 

On  the  northwest  side,  the  sloping  side  of  the  mountain 
looked  as  if  covered  with  snow.  This  effect  proved  to  be 
produced  by  a  kind  of  white  limestone  broken  in  small  pieces. 
I  put  some  in  my  pocket,  but  found,  after  some  time,  that 
specimens  of  geology  and  natural  history  were  very  incon- 
venient to  carry,  and  they  were  all  thrown  away.  By  de- 
grees, as  our  marches  became  more  fatiguing,  we  walked 
over  the  broken  limestone,  and  kept  passing  up  and  down 
hills,  over  most  difficult  and  pathless  places,  where  every 
spot  had  to  be  felt  carefully  by  the  foot  before  the  weight 
of  the  body  was  trusted  on  it.  I  constantly  trod  on  loose 
stones  with  my  foot,  and  was  in  continual  danger  of  sprain- 
ing my  ankle  as  I  walked  on  in  the  dark.  It  was  "  Mind 
your  steps,  sir,"  at  every  moment,  and  woe  betide  me  if  I 
did  not.  We  continued  this  march  until  daybreak,  when 
we  rested  and  endeavored  to  sleep.  I  found  out,  to  my  an- 
noyance, that  during  this  march  I  had  lost  a  signet-ring  I 
much  valued.  I  had  put  it  in  my  pocket  for  security,  and 
this  pocket  had  got  torn  in  our  scramble  down  the  side  of 
the  mountain. 

May  18.  I  slept  till  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  and,  on  awaking 
and  looking  round,  I  found  we  were  just  above  the  dry  bed 
of  a  stream  that  in  winter  ran  down  the  mountain-side.    We 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moe?is,  May  15  to  20.  99 

were  facing  the  west,  and  at  about  half  a  mile  off  ran  a 
stream  like  a  delicate  little  silver  serpent,  twisting  in  and 
out  of  the  bushes  and  green  banks ;  on  the  other  side  of  it 
was  a  bridle-path.  We  saw  several  bodies  of  troops  pass 
during  the  day,  who  were  always  watched  with  the  great- 
est interest,  and  the  merits  of  the  different  sorts  of  soldiers 
were  freely  discussed.  I  tried  to  get  as  far  away  from  my 
guardians  as  I  could,  and  then  began  to  think  over  some 
plan  of  escaping.  I  propped  up  my  straw  hat  on  a  peg,  so 
that  the  men,  who  were  all  below  me,  might  think  I  was 
sleeping,  and  then  tried  to  edge  off  and  to  be  ready  for  a 
run  when  more  soldiers  came ;  but  one,  who  was  very  wary, 
and  who  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  four  brigandesses, 
changed  her  position  so  as  to  see  the  place  where  I  was. 

The  day  seemed  very  long.  I  read  my  Prayer-book.  See- 
ing some  "  Forget-me-nots,"  they  reminded  me  strongly  of 
happy  days  in  England,  and,  for  want  of  any  thing  better  to 
amuse  me,  I  picked  one  and  fastened  it  in  my  Prayer-book 
with  a  little  piece  of  a  postage-stamp  I  had  in  my  pocket. 
Very  curiously,  without  knowing  it,  I  placed  it  just  over  the 
Gospel  for  the  fifteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity.  Our  Savior 
there  draws  lessons  from  the  flowers  of  the  field.  The  little 
flower  that  I  had  plucked  always  afterward  spoke  volumes 
to  me  in  my  solitude,  and  I  drew  intense  comfort  from  the 
thought  that  God,  who  cares  for  the  lilies  of  the  field,  would 
not  forget  me,  and  felt  convinced  that  I  should  be  saved  in 
time ;  but  I  felt  very  wretched  when  I  thought  I  might 
never  again  see  those  who  were  dear  to  me. 

I  was  dreadfully  hungry,  and  found  in  my  pocket  a  piece 
of  the  Indian-corn  bread  as  large  as  a  walnut;  this  soon 
went,  and  I  turned  out  all  my  pockets,  and  discovered  to 
my  joy  the  little  cabbage  I  had  put  away  on  the  15th.  I  ate 
that  raw,  and  thought  it  any  thing  but  disgusting.     I  now 


100  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

found  two  roots  of  garlic:  one  satisfied  me,  the  flavor  being 
rather  strong  —  (how  soon  I  was  cured  of  all  daintiness ! 
Before  I  was  with  the  brigands  the  smell  of  garlic  alone  was 
nauseous  to  me,  let  alone  the  taste) — the  other  I  put  again 
into  my  pocket.  We  had  had  some  water  to  drink  during- 
the  night,  and  with  this  I  was  obliged  to  be  satisfied  till  the 
evening.  A  village  was  near,  for  we  heard  the  bells  of  the 
church  chiming  the  hours.  I  fancied  we  were  near  Castel- 
lamare ;  but,  on  asking  one  of  the  brigands  if  it  were  so,  he 
replied  "  Yes,"  and  I  knew  then  at  once  that  it  could  not 
be,  for  it  is  always  the  brigands'  principle  to  deceive  their 
captives  as  to  where  they  are.  At  dusk  we  started  again, 
finding  it  much  farther  to  the  river  than  I  imagined ;  the 
stream  was  full  of  water,  and  running  down  very  fast.  We 
stepped  from  stone  to  stone  and  got  over  dry-footed,  fol- 
lowed the  path  some  way,  and  then,  as  yesterday,  diverged 
over  mountains  and  through  woods  for  four  or  five  hours, 
till,  having  reached  an  open  part  at  the  summit  of  a  mount- 
ain covered  with  grass,  there  was  a  halt,  and  we  lay  down 
to  sleep.  The  night  was  very  cold,  wet,  and  foggy — in  fact, 
we  were  actually  in  the  clouds.  Every  night  hitherto  I  had 
been  allowed  a  capote  to  myself,  but  to-night  some  of  the 
brigands  growled  at  the  cold,  and  one  came  to  share  my 
cloak  with  me.  I  did  not  approve  of  this,  but  I  had  to  sub- 
mit ;  the  other  three  slept  under  another  capote. 

May  19.  We  woke  up  an  hour  before  daybreak,  sthTfrom 
the  cold ;  I  could  not  move  till  I  had  rubbed  my  knees  for 
ten  minutes.  We  started  again  down  hill,  and  then  along 
a  path  up  another  mountain.  Walking  by  daylight  for  once 
in  a  way  was  a  great  treat  to  me,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
light,  but  also  from  having  a  path.  As  the  sun  got  up  we 
grew  very  thirsty,  for  we  had  only  dared  to  stop  half  a 
minute  for  a  drink  the  evening  before,  on  account  of  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  101 

place  being  dangerous,  and  we  had  passed  no  streams  dur- 
ing the  night.  After  some  time  a  search  was  made  for 
snow,  and  at  last,  in  a  most  unlikely  place,  under  leaves, 
some  was  found.  It  was  most  delicious,  and  as  we  walked 
on  I  kept  eating  it.  The  brigands  laid  down  on  the  ground 
and  lapped  up  the  water  that  had  thawed,  and  was  running 
among  the  decayed  leaves.  I  thought  of  fever,  and  pre- 
ferred the  snow.  Soon  after  this  we  passed  a  spring,  where 
we  stopped  to  rest  and  drink  at  about  eleven  o'clock. 

I  was  here  told  that  we  were  near  the  main  body  of  the 
band,  and  on  emerging  from  the  trees  we  saw  the  captain 
and  about  twenty-five  of  his  men  reclining  on  the  grass  in 
a  lovely  glade,  surrounded  by  large  beech-trees,  whose  lux- 
uriant branches  swept  the  lawn.  Several  sheep  and  goats 
were  tethered  near,  cropping  the  grass.  The  men,  with 
their  guns  in  their  hands,  their  picturesque  costumes  and 
reclining  postures,  the  lovely  light  and  checkered  shade  of 
the  trees,  made  a  picture  for  Salvator  Rosa.  But  I  do  not 
believe  that  Salvator  Rosa,  or  any  other  man,  ever  paid  a 
second  visit  to  brigands,  however  great  his  love  of  the  pic- 
turesque might  be,  for  no  one  would  willingly  endure  brig- 
and life  after  one  experience  of  it,  or  place  himself  a  second 
time  in  such  a  perilous  situation. 

The  band  all  rose,  and  looked  very  pleased  at  seeing  me, 
for  we  had  been  separated  from  them  since  the  fight  on  the 
17th,  and  they  were  in  great  fear  that  I  might  have  es- 
caped, or  have  been  rescued  by  the  troops.  I  stepped  for- 
ward and  shook  hands  with  the  captain,  for  I  considered  it 
my  best  policy  to  appear  cheerful  and  friendly  with  the 
chief  of  my  captors.  He  met  me  cordially  in  a  ready  way, 
and  asked  me  how  I  was.  I  said  I  was  very  tired  and  hun- 
gry, so  he  immediately  sent  one  of  his  men  off,  who  re- 
turned in  a  few  minutes  with  a  round  loaf  of  bread,  and 


102         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

another  loaf  with  the  inside  cut  out,  and  packed  full  of  cold 
mutton  cut  into  small  pieces  and  cooked.  I  asked  for  salt, 
and  was  told  it  was  salted.  When  cooked  the  meat  tasted 
delicious  to  me,  though  it  was  awfully  tough,  for  I  had  not 
had  meat  since  luncheon  on  Monday,  in  the  temples  of  Pass- 
turn,  four  days  before.  I  ate  a  quantity,  and  then  asked  for 
water,  which  was  brought  to  me  in  a  large  leathern  flask, 
with  a  horn  round  the  top,  and  a  hole  on  one  side  serving 
to  admit  air,  as  the  water  was  required  for  drinking.  I  had 
observed  a  large  lump  of  snow  suspended  by  a  stick  through 
its  centre,  between  two  forked  sticks ;  the  water  dripping 
from  it  was  collected  in  flasks,  and  then  drank.  There  were 
two  or  three  of  these  flasks.  The  captain  asked  me  if  I  was 
satisfied.    I  answered  "Yes." 

I  was  then  told  that  there  were  two  more  companions 
for  me.  I  was  taken  through  a  gap  in  the  trees  to  the  rest 
of  the  band,  about  seventeen  in  number.  Here  I  found 
those  who  were  destined  to  be  my  companions  for  the  next 
three  weeks.  A  young  man  about  twenty-eight,  with  a 
black  beard  of  a  month's  growth,  dressed  just  like  Manzo's 
band,  who  was  introduced  to  me  as  Don  Cice,  alias  Don 
Francesco  Visconti,  and  one  Tomasino,  his  cousin,  a  boy  of 
fourteen  years  old.  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and  condoled 
with  them  on  our  common  fate,  which  Don  Francesco  de- 
scribed as  fearful.  I  was  told  to  sit  down  on  one  side, 
which  I  did,  and  looked  around  me. 

The  spot  seemed  perfect  Tor  concealment.  "We  were  at 
the  top  of  a  high  mountain,  entirely  surrounded  by  high 
trees,  excepting  two  small  gaps  serving  for  entrances,  oppo- 
site to  each  other.  The  surface  of  the  ground  was  quite 
level.  About  twenty  yards  away,  on  the  side  opposite  to 
where  I  entered,  there  was  a  quantity  of  snow,  from  which 
they  cut  the  large  pieces  for  drinking  purposes.     I  saw  five 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  103 

or  six  men  bringing  a  fresh  block,  which  they  had  just  cut, 
and  slung  on  a  pole.  It  was  now  a  little  before  midday, 
and  they  were  preparing  a  caldron  full  of  pasta  (a  kind  of 
macaroni),  which  was  ready  by  twelve  o'clock.  Some  was 
offered  to  me,  which  I  accepted.  One  brigand  proposed 
putting  the  pasta  into  a  hollow  loaf,  but  another  brigand 
brought  forward  a  deep  earthen-ware  dish  of  a  round  shape. 
I  thought  milk  would  be  an  improvement,  so  I  asked  for 
some.  Two  men  went  to  the  goats  and  brought  some  in  a 
few  minutes.  The  pasta  was  very  clean  and  well  cooked. 
What  with  the  meat  and  bread,  and  this  pasta,  I  made  an 
excellent  dinner,  and  felt  much  better.  The  pasta  was  all 
devoured  in  a  few  minutes  by  the  band,  who  collected  round 
the  caldaja,  and  dipped  in  spoons  and  fingers.  I  had  now 
leisure  to  examine  the  men ;  they  were  a  fine,  healthy  set 
of  fellows. 

Here  the  two  divisions  of  the  band  were  united,  thirty 
men  under  the  command  of  Gaetano  Manzo,  and  twelve  un- 
der Pepino  Cerino.  The  latter  had  the  two  pi'isoners,  who 
had  been  taken  on  the  16th  of  April  near  the  valley  of  Gif- 
foni,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  they  were  returning 
from  arranging  some  affairs  connected  with  the  death  of  a 
relative. 

The  smaller  band  had  four  women  with  them,  attired  like 
the  men,  with  their  hair  cut  short — at  first  I  took  them  for 
boys ;  and  all  these  displayed  a  greater  love  of  jewellery 
than  the  members  of  Manzo's  band.  They  were  decked  out 
to  do  me  honor,  and  one  of  them  wore  no  less  than  twenty- 
four  gold  rings,  of  various  sizes  and  stones,  on  her  hands  at 
the  same  moment;  others  twenty,  sixteen,  ten,  according  to 
their  wealth.  To  have  but  one  gold  chain  attached  to  a 
watch  was  considered  paltry  and  mean.  Cerino  and  Manzo 
had  bunches  as  thick  as  an  arm  suspended  across  the  breasts 


104         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

of  their  waistcoats,  with  gorgeous  brooches  at  each  fasten- 
ing. These  were  sewed  on  for  security ;  little  bunches  of 
charms  were  also  attached  in  conspicuous  positions.  I  will 
now  describe  the  uniforms  of  the  two  bands.  Manzo's  band 
had  long  jackets  of  strong  brown  cloth,  the  color  of  wither- 
ed leaves,  with  large  pockets  of  a  circular  shape  on  the  two 
sides,  and  others  in  the  breasts  outside ;  and  a  slit  on  each 
side  gave  entrance  to  a  large  pocket  that  could  hold  any 
thing  in  the  back  of  the  garment.  I  have  seen  a  pair  of 
trowsers,  two  shirts,  three  or  four  pounds  of  bread,  a  bit 
of  dirty  bacon,  cheese,  etc.,  pulled  out  one  after  another 
when  searching  for  some  article  that  was  missing.  The 
waistcoats  buttoned  at  the  side,  but  had  gilt  buttons  down 
the  centre  for  show  and  ornament ;  the  larger  ones  were 
stamped  with  dogs'  heads,  birds,  etc.  There  were  two 
large  circular  pockets  at  the  lower  part  of  the  waistcoats, 
in  which  were  kept  spare  cartridges,  balls,  gunpowder, 
knives,  etc. ;  and  in  the  two  smaller  ones  higher  up,  the 
watch  on  one  side  and  percussion  caps  in  the  other.  This 
garment  was  of  dark  blue  cloth,  like  the  trowsers,  which 
were  cut  in  the  ordinary  way. 

The  uniform  of  Cerino's  band  was  very  similar,  only  that 
the  jacket  and  trowsers  were  alike  of  dark  blue  cloth,  and 
the  waistcoat  of  bright  green,  with  small  round  silver  but- 
tons placed  close  together.  When  the  jackets  were  new 
they  all  had  attached  to  the  collars,  by  buttons,  capuces, 
or  hoods,  which  are  drawn  over  the  head  at  night  or  when 
the  weather  is  very  cold,  but  most  of  them  had  been  lost  in 
the  woods.  A  belt  about  three  inches  deep,  divided  by 
two  partitions,  to  hold  about  fifty  cartridges,  completed  the 
dress,  which,  when  new,  was  very  neat-looking  and  service- 
able. Some  of  the  cartridges  were  murderous  missiles. 
Tin  was  soldered  round  a  ball  so  as  to  hold  the  powder, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  lb  to  20.  105 

which  was  kept  in  by  a  plug  of  tow.  "When  used  the  tow 
was  taken  out,  and,  after  the  powder  was  poured  down  the 
barrel,  the  case  was  reversed,  and,  a  lot  of  slugs  being  add- 
ed, was  rammed  down  with  the  tow  on  the  top.  These 
must  be  very  destructive  at  close  quarters,  but  they  gener- 
ally blaze  at  the  soldiers,  and  vice  versa,  at  such  a  distance, 
that  little  harm  is  done  from  the  uncertain  aim  taken. 
Most  of  them  had  revolvers,  kept  either  in  the  belts  or  the 
left-hand  pocket  of  their  jackets ;  they  were  secured  by  a 
silk  cord  round  their  necks,  and  fastened  to  a  ring  in  the 
butt  of  the  pistol.  Some  few  had  stilettos,  only  used  for 
human  victims.  Many  wore  ostrich  feathers  with  turned- 
up  wide-awakes,  which  gave  the  wearers  a  theatrical  and  ab- 
surd appearance.  Gay  silk  handkerchiefs  round  their  necks 
and  collars  on  their  cotton  shirts  made  them  look  quite 
dandies  when  these  were  clean,  which  was  but  seldom. 

At  last,  tired  of  watching  the  band,  I  lay  down  and  fell 
asleep.  I  slept  for  some  hours,  during  which  a  poor  sheep 
was  dragged  into  the  inclosure,  killed,  cut  up,  cooked  in  the 
pot,  and  eaten.  I  must  have  slept  until  near  sunset,  for 
when  I  awoke  another  sheep  was  being  brought  forward, 
and  I  watched  the  process  of  killing  and  cutting  up  the  poor 
beast.  The  sheep  was  taken  in  hand  by  two  men,  Generoso 
and  Antonio  generally  acting  as  the  butchers  of  the  band. 
One  doubled  the  fore  legs  of  the  sheep  across  the  head ;  the 
other  held  the  head  back,  inserting  a  knife  into  the  throat, 
and  cutting  the  windpipe  and  jugular  vein.  It  was  then 
thrown  down  and  left  to  expire.  "When  dead,  a  slit  was 
made  in  one  of  the  hind  legs  near  the  feet,  and  an  iron  ram- 
rod taken  and  passed  down  the  leg  to  the  body  of  the  ani- 
mal ;  it  was  then  withdrawn,  and  the  mouth  of  one  of  the 
men  placed  to  the  slit  in  the  leg,  and  the  animal  was  inflated 
as  much  as  possible  and  then  skinned.     "When  the  skin  was 

E  2 


106  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

separated  from  the  legs  and  sides,  the  carcass  was  taken  and 
suspended  on  a  peg  on  a  tree,  through  the  tendon  of  a  hind 
leg;  the  skin  was  then  drawn  off" the  back  (sometimes  the 
head  was  skinned,  but  this  rarely).  The  skin  was  now 
spread  out  on  the  ground  to  receive  the  meat,  etc.,  when 
cut  off  the  body;  the  inside  was  taken  out,  the  entrails  be- 
ing drawn  out  carefully  and  cleaned ;  these  were  wound 
round  the  inside  fat  by  two  or  three  who  were  fond  of  this 
luxury  —  Sentonio,  and  Andrea  the  executioner,  generally 
performing  this  operation.  These  delicacies,  as  they  were 
considered,  being  made  about  four  inches  long  and  about 
one  inch  in  diameter,  are  fried  in  fat  or  roasted  on  spits. 
It  was  some  time  before  I  could  bring  myself  to  eat  these, 
but  curiosity  first,  and  hunger  afterward,  often  caused  me 
to  eat  my  share,  for  I  soon  learned  it  was  unwise  to  refuse 
any  thing. 

While  these  two  men  were  preparing  the  inside,  the  oth- 
er two  were  cutting  up  the  carcass.  The  breast  was  first 
cut  off,  and  then  the  shoulders ;  the  sheep  was  then  cut  in 
half  with  the  axe,  and  then  the  bones  were  laid  on  a  stump 
and  cut  through,  so  that  it  all  could  be  cut  in  small  pieces. 
One  man  would  hold  the  meat,  while  another  would  take 
hold  of  a  piece  with  his  left  hand  and  cut  with  his  right. 
As  it  was  cut  up,  the  pieces  would  be  put  into  a  large  cot- 
ton handkerchief,  which  was  spread  out  on  the  ground ;  the 
liver  and  lungs  were  cut  up  in  the  same  way ;  the  fat  was 
then  put  in  the  caldaja,  and,  when  this  was  melted,  the  kid- 
neys and  heart  (if  the  latter  had  not  been  appropriated  by 
some  one)  were  put  in,  cooked,  and  eaten,  every  one  help- 
ing himself  by  dipping  his  fingers  in  the  pot.  The  pieces 
of  liver  were  considered  the  prizes.  All  the  rest  of  the 
sheep  was  then  put  in  the  pot  at  once,  and  after  a  short  time 
the  pot  was  taken  off  the  fire  and  jerked,  so  as  to  bring  the 
under  pieces  to  the  top. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  107 

They  liked  the  meat  well  cooked ;  and  when  once  pro- 
nounced done,  it  was  divided  into  as  many  equal  portions 
as  there  were  numbers  present ;  the  captives  being  treated 
as  "  companions"  —  the  term  they  always  used  in  speaking 
of  one  another  —  I  soon  found  that  the  sooner  I  picked  up 
my  share  the  better.  If  there  was  no  doubt  about  their  be- 
ing plenty  for  all,  the  food  was  never  divided.  Then  they 
dived  with  their  hands,  whoever  ate  fastest  coming  off  best. 
I  could  only  eat  slowly,  having  to  cut  all  the  meat  into 
shreds,  as  it  was  so  tough ;  so  I  always  took  as  much  as 
they  would  let  me,  and  retired  to  my  lair,  like  a  dog  with 
his  bone.  If  I  finished  this  before  all  was  gone,  I  returned 
for  more,  it  being  always  necessary  to  secure  as  much  as 
possible,  as  one  was  never  sure  when  more  food  would 
be  forthcoming,  and  it  is  contrary  to  brigand  etiquette  to 
pocket  food  when  eaten  thus.  When  it  was  divided,  I 
might  of  course  do  as  I  liked  with  my  share,  but  even  then 
it  was  prudent  not  to  allow  them  to  know  that  I  had  re- 
served a  stock  in  my  pocket,  or  I  was  sure  to  come  off  short 
on  the  next  division  taking  place.  The  skin  was  now  taken 
and  stretched  out  to  dry,  and  then  used  to  sleep  on.  I  now 
had  a  talk  with  Visconti,  who  told  me  he  had  been  with  the 
brigands  more  than  a  month,  having  been  taken  by  Pepi- 
no's  band  of  twelve  men  close  to  his  house  in  Giffoni,  with 
his  little  cousin  Tomasino.  40,000  ducats  was  the  price 
asked  for  him,  of  which  9000  had  already  been  paid.  He 
complained  woefully  of  the  life  and  the  scarcity  of  food, 
though  he  had  never  really  suffered  from  want,  the  band 
having  laid  their  hands  on  twenty  sheep  at  once  while  he 
was  with  them.  The  length  of  the  days  troubled  him 
much.  He  had  not  had  much  walking,  and  had  been  eight 
days  in  the  present  encampment.  He  had  suffered  from 
fever  for  some  days,  but  was  now  better.     He  looked  very 


108  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

white  and  puffy  in  the  face.  Little  Tomasino  was  as  fat  as 
possible,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  his  life  like  a  child,  not  reflect- 
ing on  the  danger  of  his  situation.  He  was  a  great  favorite 
with  the  band,  and  was  already  half  a  brigand.  While 
talking,  we  were  startled  by  an  accidental  shot  from  one  of 
the  brigand's  guns ;  this  made  a  great  stir  among  the  band, 
and  called  down  the  severe  displeasure  of  the  captain,  who 
scolded  the  delinquent  most  warmly.  It  now  grew  dark, 
and  the  captain  came  round  and  told  me  to  lie  down  on  two 
sheepskins  which  had  been  assigned  to  me.  A  wallet  was 
given  me  for  a  pillow,  and  also  a  capote.  I  was  very  tired, 
notwithstanding  my  sleep  in  the  afternoon,  and  soon  fell 
asleep.  The  captain  and  ten  or  twelve  men  went  down  the 
mountain  in  the  mean  time  to  watch.  About  eleven  o'clock 
we  were  awakened  by  firing,  and  there  was  soon  a  volley, 
by  which  we  knew  they  had  fallen  in  with  the  troops.  Aft- 
er a  time  all  was  quiet  again,  and  toward  the  morning  the 
captain  returned  with  the  news  that  one  of  the  men  had 
been  shot  while  carrying  bread  and  sundries  in  a  handker- 
chief on  his  gun  over  his  shoulder.     He  fell  immediately. 

(Signor  D afterward  told  me  that  it   was   his   act.) 

There  was  great  lamentation ;  and,  at  an  hour  before  sun- 
rise, the  whole  band  was  collected,  and  started  off  in  flight. 
On  the  20th  we  did  not  march  very  far,  only  walking 
about  two  hours  in  the  shade  of  the  wood  till  we  got  lower 
down,  where  we  rested  for  the  day.  A  great  deal  of  gam- 
bling went  on  all  day  long.  Pepino's  band  were  the  play- 
ers, for  they  had  lately  received  9000  ducats  of  Visconti's 
ransom.  Their  game  was  something  of  this  sort :  three  or 
four  men  sat  round  a  handkerchief  spread  on  the  ground ; 
three  half  Napoleons  were  then  put  into  a  wide-awake,  the 
lining  being  first  torn  out.  The  hat  was  then  shaken,  and 
turned  over,  so  as  to  drop  out  the  coins,  which  were  then 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  May  15  to  20.  109 

concealed  by  the  hat.  Money  is  now  staked  on  the  croce 
or  capo.  All  day  long  it  was  a  perpetual  "  cinque  a  cinque 
capo,  vintf  a  vinte"  and  so  on.  I  was  always  apprehensive 
of  danger  when  the  gambling  was  going  on,  for  after  a  few 
minutes  there  was  sure  to  be  a  quarrel,  and  when  their  pas- 
sions were  roused  they  were  always  more  inclined  to  treat 
me  badly.  Loud  voices  would  be  heard,  those  making  the 
greatest  noise  demanding  silence,  and  the  captain,  who  was 
as  inveterate  a  gambler  as  any  of  them,  would  storm  and 
rage  at  his  men  in  the  most  furious  manner.  The  gambling 
would  often  be  carried  on  in  the  most  dangerous  places, 
even  when  the  soldiers  were  known  to  be  near,  and  when 
the  risk  attending  a  quarrel  among  themselves  might  easily 
have  been  fatal  to  the  brigands.* 

No  fire  was  made  to-day  on  account  of  the  proximity  of 
the  soldiers,  who  disturbed  the  band  last  night.  Bread  in 
small  quantities  was  divided  among  us,  but  there  was  no 
water.  Two  hours  before  sunset  we  started  again,  there 
being  great  groans  from  Visconti  and  many  of  the  band  on 
account  of  the  long  walk  before  us  —  seven  or  eight  hours' 
march ;  for,  though  always  walking,  the  brigands  dislike 
and  dread  much  of  it.  Soon  after  starting  it  began  to  rain 
hard.  I  turned  my  flannel  trowsers  up  to  my  knees  and 
put  on  my  capote,  thinking  it  better  to  endure  a  little 
cold  than  get  my  trowsers  wet.  This  horrified  the  brig- 
ands, who  were  most  anxious  that  I  should  put  them  down 
again,  saying  that  it  was  very  injurious  to  expose  the  knees. 
I  told  them  it  was  the  Scotch  fashion,  and  Scotland  had 
plenty  of  rain,  and  the  people  were  renowned  for  their  cour- 
age, strength,  and  good  sense.     The  grass  and  trees  were 

*  "  It  is  worthy  the  observing,  that  there  is  no  passion  in  the  mind  of 

man  so  weak  but  it  mates  and  masters  the  fear  of  death." — Bacon's  Es- 
says. 


110         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

very  wet,  and  our  boots  and  socks  were  soon  wet  through. 
In  a  short  time  we  left  the  wood,  and  falling  on  a  path,  we 
pursued  our  way  with  the  greatest  caution,  the  captain  be- 
ing always  in  advance,  and  the  others  following  in  Indian 
file.  The  captives  had  to  march  towai'd  the  rear,  with 
about  four  or  five  men  behind  them ;  one  man,  Pavone  by 
name,  being  especially  charged  to  take  care  of  me.  He 
was  responsible  for  me,  and  if  I  had  escaped  his  life  would 
have  been  forfeited.  Another,  called  Scope,*  who  was  also 
charged  never  to  leave  me,  was  behind  me.  These  two 
never  left  me,  day  or  night.  Scope,  with  two  others,  came 
from  Acerno,  and  had  only  joined  the  band  a  few  days  be- 
fore we  were  captured.  He  had  been  a  zappatore,  or  labor- 
er in  the  fields ;  his  nature  was  most  brutal.  He  was  al- 
ways with  me,  and  invariably  ill-treated  me.  He  grudged 
me  every  morsel  I  had  to  eat,  and  whenever  he  gave  me 
any  food  he  always  threw  me  my  portion  as  if  I  had  been  a 
dog.  He  was  a  tall,  spare  man,  about  twenty-two  years 
old,  with  a  long,  thin  face,  with  large  nose  and  large  eyes. 
His  eyes  had  always  a  mournful  expression,  and  were  con- 
stantly fixed  on  the  ground.  Remorse  for  some  fearful 
deed  of  murder  was  clearly  written  on  his  countenance,  as 
though  he  were  already  suffering  for  it.  I  often  used  to 
charge  him  with  thinking  of  his  victim,  but  he  would  never 
admit  it — a  shake  of  the  forefinger  or  contemptuous  tap  on 
the  head  being  all  the  answer  he  would  deign  to  give  me. 
We  now  came  to  a  long  stripe  of  open  ground,  the  forest 
of  large  beech-trees  skirting  it  on  the  left,  and  the  mount- 
ain, with  a  gentle  slope,  rising  on  the  right.  Some  of  this 
ground  was  cultivated,  and  had  just  been  plowed  and  sown 
with  maize,  or  granone,  as  they  call  it.  We  were  cautioned 
against  speaking,  or  walking  on  the  soft  ground,  and  were 
*  Abbreviated  from  Scopecchio. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,May  15  to  20.  Ill 

told  to  tread  upon  the  grass,  so  that  we  might  not  leave 
any  traces  to  betray  our  track  to  the  troops,  or  to  any  of 
that  class  called  by  the  bi'igands  infame —  the  term  they 
use  for  informers,  and  all  those  who  are  not  well-disposed 
toward  them,  and  would  give  any  notice  or  information  to 
the  authorities.  After  walking  some  hours'  time  we  passed 
several pagliatte,  or  straw  conical  huts.  Some  little  distance 
from  us  there  was  a  light  in  the  last  of  these,  arising  from 
a  wood  fire  in  front.  We  were  halted  while  some  of  the 
advance  guard  went  up  to  reconnoitre.  One  brigand  went 
forward  to  speak  to  the  occupants,  who  proved  to  be  shep- 
herds ;  they  had  put  out  the  fire  as  the  band  approached, 
and  after  a  short  conversation  the  two  shepherds  were 
brought  down  to  the  captain,  who  had  remained  with  the 
band  under  a  large  spreading  oak-tree.  I  stepped  forward, 
longing  to  see  an  honest  face,  but  was  roughly  pulled  back, 
and  told  to  stop  where  I  was.  My  blood  boiled  for  a  mo- 
ment, but  I  restrained  myself,  and  endeavored  to  show  in- 
difference by  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders.  It  was  their  inva- 
riable practice  to  prevent  their  captives  from  seeing  or 
speaking  to  the  peasants.  I  inquired  why  this  was  so,  and 
was  told  that  the  peasants  object  to  it,  for  fear  of  being  rec- 
ognized and  denounced  afterward  when  the  prisoner  has 
been  ransomed  and  is  free.  The  captain  asked  me  if  I 
should  like  some  milk.  I  cheered  up  a  little  at  the  prospect 
of  a  drink  at  last,  and  a  large  pailful  having  been  brought  to 
me,  I  took  it  in  my  hands,  and  did  not  take  it  from  my  lips 
till  I  felt  I  had  had  enough.  This  was  the  first  opportunity 
they  had  of  observing  my  milk-consuming  powers.  They 
were  rather  astonished,  and  I  explained  that  "  Latte  me 
pia.ce  molto"  as  it  did  all  English  people.  I  did  not  know 
when  I  should  have  a  chance  of  drinking  again,  and  acted 
on  Captain  Dugald  Dalgetty's  plan  of  laying  in  a  stock 


112         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands.     t 

when  I  had  the  opportunity.  The  two  Viscontis  hardly 
drank  any,  being  of  opinion  that  it  was  unwholesome ;  they 
are  like  their  countrymen — they  rarely  touched  milk.  (In 
Rome  it  is  a  common  sight  to  see  written  in  English, "  Milk 
sold  here,"  English  people  being  the  principal  consumers  of 
that  beverage.)  After  a  halt  of  about  half  an  hour  we  con- 
tinued our  walk.  Pavone  asked  me  if  I  knew  where  Saler- 
no was,  and  was  annoyed  at  my  pointing  without  any  hesi- 
tation toward  it.  Then  followed  a  question  as  to  where 
Paestum  (or  Peste,  as  they  call  it)  was.  I  pointed  correctly 
as  before,  and  also  showed  them  the  directions  in  which  lay 
Rome,  Apulia,  and,  lastly,  England.  They  did  not  know  the 
north  star,  which  was  now  shining  brightly,  the  rain  having 
left  off  and  the  sky  being  quite  clear ;  and  my  knowing  the 
way,  as  they  said,  always,  both  by  day  or  night,  in  any  part 
of  the  mountains,  puzzled  them  immensely.  They  never 
got  over  it,  continually  asking  me  throughout  my  captivity 
how  it  was  that  I  obtained  this  wonderful  knowledge. 

On  this  particular  occasion,  my  extraordinary  cleverness, 
as  they  termed  it,  was  their  topic  of  conversation  all  night. 
The  ground  we  were  now  traversing  was  moi'e  cultivated, 
and  we  passed  another  river,  the  Viscontis  and  I  being  car- 
ried across  on  the  shoulders  of  some  of  the  band.  The  path 
then  grew  better  and  ran  between  hedges.  It  was  now 
very  dark,  and  I  had  great  difficulty  in  following,  not  being 
able  to  see  an  inch  before  me,  and  was  obliged  to  take 
hold  of  the  man  walking  before  me,  and  to  feel  every  step 
before  I  ventured  to  put  my  foot  to  the  ground.  Some- 
times I  lagged  a  little,  and  those  behind  now  and  then  gave 
me  a  rap,  and  were  in  a  great  rage  with  me,  Pavone  indulg- 
ing in  a  few  oaths  at  the  same  time.  After  five  hours' 
walking  our  captors  began  to  get  very  tired,  and  poor  Vis- 
<*onti  was  very  foot-sore.     I  fortunately  had  a  pair  of  well- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  15  to  20.  113 

fitting  strong  boots  on,  and,  excepting  that  my  right  ankle 
felt  a  little  warm,  I  was  well  enough,  and  ready  to  walk  on 
for  some  hours  more.  I  inquired  how  much  longer  we 
should  be  walking.  Some  said  half  an  hour,  others  four  or 
five  hours ;  the  good-natured  ones  of  the  band  always  short- 
ening the  time  to  encourage  us,  the  others  doing  the  reverse. 
It  was  almost  an  impossibility  for  them  to  tell  the  truth  at 
any  time,  on  any  subject.  Another  hour  brought  us  to  a 
place  where  our  approach  disturbed  some  dogs,  which  bark- 
ed most  furiously  till  we  were  again  far  away  from  them. 
We  were  now  told  that  we  were  getting  near  our  sleeping- 
place  ;  the  district  got  more  wild  and  rocky,  and  we  heard 
the  rushing  sound  of  a  mountain  torrent,  and,  after  follow- 
ing it  some  little  way,  we  came  to  a  place  with  rocks  rising 
on  each  side,  the  river  running  between  them,  and  leaving 
a  small  level  space  between  it  and  the  rocks  on  one  side. 


114         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Diaey  of  Me.  Moexs,  May  20  to  27. 

Brigands  merry-making. — The  Captain  watches  over  me  while  I  sleep. 
— His  protecting  Care. — Thoughts  of  Home. — A  Storm. — The  Ladies 
of  the  Band. — Doniella. — Carmina. — Maria. — Antonina. — Concetta. 
— Their  Furniture. — They  think  I  am  a  Milord. — The  Government  will 
pay  for  me. — A  Night  March. — A  terrific  Climb. — Method  of  selecting 
Sentries. — Threats  of  Mutilation. 

May  20.  The  edge  of  the  stream  was  fringed  with  bush- 
es, two  or  three  trees  growing  by  the  side  of  the  rocks  on 
the  right  of  the  level  ground.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  at 
the  camping-ground,  the  band  gave  themselves  up  to  mirth 
and  merriment,  as  they  always  did  on  coming  to  any  place 
where  they  considered  themselves  perfectly  safe.  This  en- 
campment being  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, and  the  noise  of  the  turbulent  stream  drowning  the 
sound  of  their  voices,  made  them  now  feel  themselves  quite 
secure.  All  but  two  or  three  burst  out  into  one  of  their 
favorite  songs ;  the  others  set  to  work  to  collect  dead  wood 
for  the  fire,  and  to  cut  a  curved  branch,  which  was  driven 
into  the  ground  near  the  fire,  and  on  which  was  suspended 
the  caldaja  or  caldron,  containing  one  of  the  sheep  that 
were  killed  when  we  left  the  top  of  the  mountain  in  the 
morning.  The  fire  soon  burnt  up ;  a  quantity  of  wood  was 
piled  on,  and  we  all  crowded  round  to  warm  and  dry  our- 
selves, it  having  rained  so  heavily  during  our  night's  march. 
The  favorite  song  of  the  band  was  now  sung  by  all,  and  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  115 

light  shining  on  those  standing  and  sitting  round  the  fire, 
as  well  as  lighting  up  the  little  amphitheatre,  made  the 
whole  scene  most  picturesque.  I  walked  two  or  three 
steps  to  the  river,  in  order  to  bathe  my  right  ankle,  which 
felt  a  little  warm.  Immediately  there  was  a  cry  of  "Dove 
andate  ?"  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  persuaded 
those  Avho  came  to  look  after  me  to  allow  me  to  put  my 
foot  into  the  icy  cold  water.  They  tried  to  persuade  me 
that  it  was  most  injurious,  and  that  I  should  do  myself  some 
serious  harm,  and  they  eventually  made  me  come  back  to 
the  fire  long  before  I  had  had  time  enough  to  bathe  my 
foot. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  meat  was  cooked  enough  to  please 
them,  and  divided  into  forty-five  parts  upon  one  of  the  ca- 
potes ;  three  parts  were  given  to  the  captives,  the  others 
coming  forward  to  take  their  share.  All  the  bread  had 
been  eaten  during  the  day,  so  that  we  had  to  devour  the 
lumps  of  tough  mutton  alone.  Two  other  fires  were  now 
lighted  up,  and  I  tried  to  dry  my  capote  and  boots  as  much 
as  possible,  but  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  shown  the  place  al- 
lotted to  me  for  the  few  hours  that  remained  before  sunrise. 

The  two  Viscontis  and  I  lay  down  together.  I  was  on 
the  outside,  with  the  captain  close  to  me.  To  make  doubly 
sure,  he  put  one  leg  over  my  chest ;  I  tried  to  shake  it  off, 
but  he  would  have  it  so ;  and,  being  very  tired,  I  tried  to 
forget  all,  and  was  soon  asleep. 

May  21.  It  seemed  only  five  minutes  when  I  was  roused 
up,  hearing  a  stern  voice  say  "Aha  /"  which  is  their  word 
for  "get  up."  There  was  no  denying  them,  so  up  I  got, 
grieving  over  our  fate  at  having  to  start  again,  for  I  had 
hoped,  and  fully  expected,  that  we  should  have  stopped 
some  time  at  this  place.  We  climbed  up  the  rocky  bank, 
and  soon  began  to  ascend  a.  mountain  covered  with  beech- 


116         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

trees,  the  branches  of  which  we  had  to  bend  on  one  side  in 
order  to  make  our  way  through  them.  A  tremendous  thun- 
der-storm now  broke  over  us,  with  drenching  rain,  and  after 
getting  thoroughly  wet,  we  reached  a  grotto  where  we  rest- 
ed. Here  I  heard,  to  my  horror,  that  the  two  poor  proprie- 
tors whom  we  had  seen  captured  by  the  brigands,  and  who 
had  been  our  companions  during  the  first  night's  walk  and 
the  next  day  till  the  attack  of  the  soldiers,  had  been  mur- 
dered on  that  occasion  when  trying  to  escape.  (I  after- 
ward found  out  that  this  was  not  true.  Luzzo  had  com- 
plained of  the  cold  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  and  Manzo 
generously  lent  him  his  own  jacket.  This  Luzzo  had  on 
when  he  escaped,  and  in  it  was  a  pocket-book  containing 
papers,  some  of  which  were  accounts  of  lawge  sums  of  mon- 
ey expended  for  the  band,  while  others  were  said  to  com- 
promise certain  neighboring  proprietors.)  This  filled  me 
with  anguish  and  anxiety  as  regarded  my  poor  wife ;  for  if 
she  had  heard  that  some  of  the  ricattati  had  been  killed, 
she  would  at  once  fear  for  me.  I  asked  Manzo  where  Luzzo 
was,  in  order  to  be  certain  whether  what  I  had  heard  was 
true;  for  one  of  the  principles  of  brigandage  is  never  to  tell 
the  truth,  and  the  only  way  to  ascertain  any  thing  was  to 
ask  several  of  my  captors  the  same  question,  when  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  doing  so  alone,  without  the  others  hearing 
me,  and  then,  from  the  various  answers,  I  would  glean  an 
approximation  to  the  truth.  Sometimes  six  or  seven  of 
them  would  give  me  quite  different  answers.  The  reply  I 
got  from  the  captain  was  "JVbn  c'£,"  and  that  my  letters 
and  money  were  not  to  be  sent  to  Luzzo's  house,  but  that 
other  arrangements  had  been  made.  He  took  paper  out  of 
his  pocket-book,  and  unscrewed  a  little  black  tin  ink-bottle, 
in  which  was  steel  pen  and  some  cotton  waste  ;  a  little  wa- 
ter was  added  to  this  and  stirred  up ;  the  water  now  be- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  117 

came  black  and  served  for  ink ;  a  large,  flat,  round  loaf  was 
brought  me  to  write  on,  and  the  captain  began  to  dictate  a 
letter  for  me  to  write  to  our  consul  general  at  Naples.  The 
composition  went  on  very  slowly,  by  reason  of  my  having 
had  very  little  practice  in  writing  Italian,  and  the  Neapoli- 
tan dialect  being  so  unlike  the  Roman,  which  is  always 
spoken  by  Englishmen. 

"When  this  was  done,  the  letter  to  my  wife,  which  I  had 
written  on  the  19th,  at  the  place  where  I  joined  the  band, 
was  given  back  to  me,  to  add  a  postscript,  stating  that  all 
letters  and  money  were  to  be  sent  to  the  house  of  my  fellow- 
sufferer's  father  at  Giflbni. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  some  pasta  was  cooked,  which, 
with  a  little  bread,  and  still  less  raw  fat  bacon,  constituted 
our  dinner.  I  now  remembered  that  to-day  was  Sunday, 
and  I  thought  of  home,  and  the  many  happy  Sundays  we 
had  spent  there  ;  and  of  the  little  church,  where  I  felt  that 
many  silent  prayers  were  being  offered  up  on  my  behalf 
(and  where,  as  I  afterward  learnt,  I  was  prayed  for  by  name, 
all  those  weary  months  that  I  remained  in  the  hands  of  my 
captors).  I  read  all  our  beautiful  Church  service ;  how  dif- 
ferent it  appeared  to  me  now,  in  my  lonely  and  terrible  po- 
sition, to  what  it  did  when  read  in  churches — the  prayers 
and  psalms  seemed  as  though  written  for  me!  What  con- 
fidence and  trust  they  gave  me,  that  by  the  grace  of  God  I 
should  be  delivered  from  the  hands  of  those  wicked  men ! 
From  this  day  till  I  was  set  free,  I  never  missed  reading 
through  the  whole  of  the  morning  service  and  litany.  I 
generally  chose  the  afternoon  about  two  o'clock,  when  the 
baud  (like  all  Southerners),  with  the  exception  of  the  sen- 
tries, all  slept,  and  thus  gave  me  a  quiet  interval  from  the 
swearing,  gambling,  and  disputing  that  were  always  going 
on  around  me. 


118          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

At  about  two  o'clock  the  captain  and  ten  of  the  band 
went  off  with  my  letters,  and  the  others  with  us  climbed 
higher  up  the  mountain.  Soon  after  starting  the  sky  grew 
very  dark,  with  every  appearance  of  another  storm,  which 
fortunately  did  not  break  until  we  were  under  the  shelter 
of  a  grotto — about  an  hour's  walk  from  where  we  had  spent 
the  morning.  The  grotto  was  very  small,  and  only  afforded 
room  sufficient  for  Visconti  and  myself,  little  Tomasino  creep- 
ing in  behind  us.  About  five  or  six  feet  in  front  of  the  cave 
was  a  large  heap  of  snow  that  had  remained  unmelted  in 
consequence  of  a  quantity  of  earth  having  fallen  upon  it 
from  the  rocks  above.  I  was  about  to  eat  some,  but  they 
would  not  allow  me  because  of  the  earth  over  it,  which  they 
said  generally  made  the  snow  injurious  by  means  of  poison- 
ous matter  washed  from  it.  The  cave  was  very  damp,  and 
the  sides  covered  with  green  mould;  the  part  between  it 
and  the  bank  of  snow  was  very  uneven  and  sloping,  so  Sen- 
tonio  (who,  though  the  oldest,  yet  was  always  the  most  act- 
ive of  the  band)  borrowed  my  stick,  and  with  the  point  of 
it  dug  up  the  upper  part,  and  in  a  short  time  made  a  level 
space  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  brigands  with  us. 
The  storm  now  broke,  accompanied  by  a  most  furious  show- 
er of  rain  that  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  after  which  it  be- 
came fine  again.  This  was  the  sort  of  weather  we  had  for 
at  least  six  weeks,  though  all  the  time  it  was  fine  and  with- 
out a  drop  of  rain  in  the  plains  of  Naples  and  Salerno.  To- 
ward the  evening  a  larger  and  drier  grotto  was  discovered 
by  thos^  who  went  for  water,  a  little  lower  down  on  the 
right ;  so  we  were  moved  to  it  after  some  hesitation  on  the 
part  of  Sentonio,  who  had  worked  so  hard  in  order  to  level 
the  ground;  and  we  soon  got  wet  again.  How  I  hated 
these  changes  after  we  had  settled  down  quietly!  Three 
fires  were,  however,  lighted  on  arriving  at  our  new  place 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  119 

of  shelter,  and  we  did  our  best  to  dry  our  boots  and  capotes. 
Our  supper  consisted  of  pasta  again.  The  captain  and  men 
came  back  during  the  night  with  bread,  some  large  sugar- 
plums, which  they  call  confetti,  and  two  bottles  of  Hosolio, 
which  is  a  sort  of  sweetened  rum.  The  captives  had  a 
share  of  these,  and  we  thoroughly  enjoyed  them,  having 
been  without  any  luxury  of  the  kind  for  a  week. 

May  22.  To-day  we  had  a  repetition  of  the  wet  and 
thunder  of  yesterday,  and,  to  my  horror,  we  went  down  to 
the  glen  where  we  were  yesterday  morning,  thus  wetting 
my  boots  through  again. 

Here  I  discovered  that  five  of  the  band  were  brigandesses. 
They  were  dressed  exactly  like  the  men,  and  their  hair  was 
cut  short,  the  only  peculiarity  in  their  clothing  being  small 
boneless  articles,  which,  I  believe,  ladies  call  corsets.  They 
exhibited  none  of  that  sanguinary  and  savage  character 
which  I  had  always  heard  belonged  to  lady-brigands;  all 
were  part  of  the  goods  and  chattels  of  their  respective  mas- 
ters. They  were  considered  by  all  as  the  ultime  compagne 
of  the  band ;  they  had  no  share  in  the  ransom  money,  and 
were  often  beaten  and  ill-treated  by  their  lords.  Two  of 
them  carried  guns,  and  the  other  three  revolvers.  Two 
were  tall,  fine,  strong  young  women  ;  the  third  had  a  melan- 
choly thin  face,  but  the  largest  oval  eyes  I  had  ever  seen ; 
the  fourth  was  an  ugly,  sulky  girl,  who  always  appeared  to 
refuse  food  or  any  thing  offered  to  her,  and  the  fifth  was 
very  much  like  her. 

Doniella,  the  partner  of  Pepino  Cerino,  the  capo  of  the 
small  band  of  eleven  men,  who  had  taken  Don  Francesco 
and  his  cousin  Tomasino,  was  a  strapping  young  woman 
about  nineteen  years  old,  with  a  very  good  figure  and  hand- 
some features,  a  pretty  smile  and  splended  teeth.  She  and 
her  husband  were  both  very  greedy,  and  always  managed 


120         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  secure  a  double  share  of  food,  which  made  them  very  un- 
popular, and  was  eventually  the  cause  of  Pepino  being  de- 
posed from  his  office  of  captain.  She  would  sometimes  give 
us  confetti,  but  always  refused  us  any  of  the  extra  share  of 
food  which  she  always  had  in  her  pocket.  I  often  wonder- 
ed how  it  was  that  she  was  generous  enough  to  give  me  a 
capuce  or  hood,  of  blue  cloth,  which  she  did  during  our 
night's  march  of  the  19th;  but  after  six  weeks  I  found  out 
that  it  belonged  to  Cerino,  who,  to  my  grief,  came  to  claim 
it  when  his  band  parted  from  Manzo's.  This  capuce  was 
the  greatest  comfort  at  night.  I  always  tied  a  cotton  hand- 
kerchief, which  they  gave  me,  round  my  head,  and  then  drew 
on  this  hood  of  double  cloth  half  over  my  face,  keeping  off 
all  wind  and  wet. 

Carmina  belonged  to  Giuseppe,  a  good-looking  man,  with 
red  fuzzy  hair  of  prodigious  length ;  he  was  the  dandy  of 
the  band,  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  rich — that  is,  of 
possessing  4000  ducats.  Many  were  the  rings  and  gold 
chains  on  their  persons  and  in  their  pockets,  for  a  festa  or 
some  grand  occasion  was  necessary  to  draw  out  of  the  little 
tin  boxes  that  served  them  for  jewel  cases  the  wealth  they 
contained.  Carmina  was  very  good-natured,  and  would 
nearly  always  give  me  any  food  she  could  spare. 

Maria  was  the  sulky  girl.  She  hardly  ever  spoke  to  any 
body,  and  when  any  one  addressed  her,  a  nod  or  shake  of 
the  head  was  all  the  response  she  would  deign  to  give ;  she 
would  never  give  me  any  thing,  or  do  any  thing  for  me. 

Antonina  was  the  lotus-eyed  damsel.  She  possessed  a 
cheerful  disposition,  and  was  always  willing  to  do  any  thing 
she  could  for  me  in  the  mending  way.  She  attached  her- 
self to  Generoso  di  Salerno,  who  fully  carried  out  the  import 
of  his  name.  Many  a  time,  when  food  was  very  scarce, 
would  these  two  share  with  me  the  little  that  thev  had 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  121 

saved  from  the  previous  day.  I  considered  that  all  was~feir 
in  war,  and  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  securing  whatever 
I  could  lay  my  hands  on.  Many  a  time  I  endeavored  to 
impress  on  them  that,  as  an  Englishman,  I  required  double 
the  quantity  that  would  suffice  for  them ;  but  I  regret  to 
say  that  this  had  little  effect,  except  in  giving  them  the  idea 
that  I  had  an  insatiable  appetite. 

Concetta  belonged  to  Cicco  Guange,  and  was  very  similar 
in  disposition  to  Maria. 

All  these  women  had  about  them  needles,  scissors,  cotton 
and  silk  of  various  hues,  as  well  as  bits  of  cloth,  and  they 
were  always  ready  to  do  any  repairs  that  were  needful ;  and 
when  a  fresh  supply  of  handkerchiefs  (or  maccatore,  as  they 
were  termed)  arrived,  they  would  all  sit  together  and  stead- 
ily work  away  till  they  were  done.  During  a  thunder-storm 
they  would  always  cease  working — out  of  some  religious 
feeling — and  at  every  clap  of  thunder  cross  themselves. 
Sunday  was  the  same  as  other  days  as  regarded  working. 
I  tried  to  explain  to  them  that  they  should  rest  from  labor 
on  that  day,  but  always  without  effect. 

On  the  western  side  of  this  glen,  in  which  we  remained 
all  day,  there  was  a  high  bank  of  earth,  with  the  roots  of 
the  large  beech-trees  protruding  from  it.  In  the  winter  the 
glen  served  as  a  water-course ;  but  it  was  now  quite  dry, 
and  served  as  a  capital  place  of  concealment,  though  on  that 
account  it  was  all  the  worse  for  us.  The  dense  forest  of 
beech-trees  that  clothed  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain 
prevented  us  seeing  beyond  a  very  little  way,  and  the 
ground  was  every  where  covered  with  dead  leaves,  six  inch- 
es deep,  packed  closely  together  by  the  weight  of  the  snow 
in  winter. 

I  looked  round  to  discover  something  that  might  per- 
chance serve  to  pass  away  the  weary  hours ;  flowers  there 

F 


122         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

were  none,  but  suddenly  my  eye  rested  on  a  twisted  root, 
about  five  inches  thick.  It  struck  me  that  I  might  be  able 
to  manufacture  a  spoon,  to  be  my  own,  so  that  it  would  not 
be  necessary  to  use  one  that  had  just  been  in  the  mouth  of 
a  murderer.  I  got  up,  took  the  hatchet,  and  began  with 
gentle  and  silent  strokes  to  cut  a  piece  about  six  inches 
long ;  three  or  four  of  my  guardians  soon  inquired  what  I 
was  doing,  and  told  me  not  to  make  a  noise.  After  five 
minutes  Pavone  came  up,  and  with  two  or  three  cuts,  much 
more  violent  than  I  had  dared  to  make,  separated  the  de- 
sired piece.  They  asked  what  I  wanted  it  for,  and  were 
much  amused  when  I  told  them  that  it  was  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  spoon.  This  kept  me  amused  for  two  whole 
days;  hour  by  hour  I  perseveringly  kept  whittling  away 
with  a  tiny  little  penknife,  one  and  a  quarter  inches  long, 
with  a  most  delicate  little  blade  of  the  best  steel  I  ever  saw. 
Many  a  day  did  that  precious  little  knife  amuse  me,  and 
many  a  time  did  I  refuse  to  lend  it  for  fear  it  should  come 
to  grief.  Sometimes  I  was  obliged  to  do  so,  but  then  I  nev- 
er rested  till  it  was  again  safe  in  my  possession. 

It  was  very  cold  at  night,  and  the  ground  being  very  wet 
on  account  of  the  constant  storms  and  rain,  I  always  tried 
to  dry  my  capote  as  much  as  I  could ;  but  the  thick  woolen 
cloth  absorbed  so  much  water  that  I  could  never  do  so  per- 
fectly, and  I  always  woke  in  the  morning  shivering  with 
cold,  and  with  my  joints  quite  stiff.  I  rubbed  my  knees  for 
some  time,  and  then  tried  to  get  close  to  the  fire,  which 
was  always  made  at  daybreak  to  thaw  us,  for  many  of  the 
band  were  without  capotes,  having  lost  them  on  the  16th, 
when  surprised  by  the  troops.  Some  of  the  men  would  not 
let  me  go  near  the  fire  until  they  were  forced  to  do  so  by 
those  well-disposed  toward  me.  When  warm,  or  a  little 
less  cold,  I  would  try  to  go  to  sleep  again  till  about  eight 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens^  May  20  to  27.  123 

o'clock,  when  we  would  eat  what  little  was  given  to  us, 
generally  at  this  time  a  little  piece  of  very  hard  stale  bread, 
about  three  inches  square. 

May  23.  Repetition  of  yesterday. 

May  24.  Great  rain  to-day.  Early  in  the  morning  we 
were  sent  to  the  cave  above,  where  we  had  spent  the  21st; 
we  got  very  wet,  and  had  to  lie  in  our  wet  things  all  day. 
In  the  afternoon  there  was  another  frightful  storm ;  all  the 
brigands  crossed  themselves  as  peal  succeeded  peal  of  thun- 
der. Toward  the  evening  it  was  fine  again,  and  after  sun- 
set the  four  men  who  had  been  out  foraging  returned  with 
a  little  bread  and  cheese. 

May  25.  To-day  was  very  quiet,  Visconti  and  I  talking 
to  each  other  continually.  Through  disuse  of  my  own  lan- 
guage, I  found  Italian  much  more  easy  than  at  first,  and  we 
got  on  very  well  together.  I  asked  him  about  country  life 
in  Italy,  and  he,  in  return,  of  mine  in  England.  He,  as  well 
as  the  brigands,  would  have  it  that  I  was  "  My  lord,"  and 
that  wretched  little  Tomasino  would  come  up  to  me  and 
tell  me  that,  from  certain  information  the  brigands  had  got, 
I  was  possessed  of  2,000,000  ducats,  and  that  the  Italian 
government  was  going  to  pay  my  ransom,  in  which  case 
they  would  not  be  contented  with  the  50,000  asked,  but 
would  not  let  me  go  under  1,000,000.  This  enraged  me 
immensely,  and  I.  am  afraid  I  sometimes  was  very  unkind  to 
the  poor  little  fellow. 

To-day  Visconti  most  generously  gave  me  a  thick  flan- 
nel sleeve -waistcoat,  as  he  had  two  of  these  articles.  It 
was  most  acceptable  to  me,  because  I  was  most  miserably 
clothed,  my  dress  being  only  suited  to  the  hot  plains.  I  do 
not  know  how  I  should  have  got  on  without  this  extra  gar- 
ment. In  the  middle  of  the  day  some  of  the  band  arrived 
with  two  sheep.     I  rejoiced  to  see  them,  for  we  had  not 


124         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

had  any  meat  for  five  or  six  days.  The  sheep  were  soon 
killed,  skinned,  and  in  the  great  camp-kettle ;  but  Visconti 
and  I  were  horrified  at  finding  we  had  to  eat  the  meat  with- 
out bread.  I  had  secured  a  heart,  which  I  roasted  on  a 
stick,  and  divided  with  Visconti,  as  I  always  did  with  any 
thing  that  I  could  secure  apart  from  the  general  division. 
On  searching  in  my  pocket  I  found  a  little  piece  of  bread, 
which  I  had  put  away  and  forgotten ;  this  I  ate  as  dessert, 
in  order  to  take  away  the  taste  of  meat.  We  were  told  not 
to  eat  all,  but  to  reserve  some  for  the  evening.  But  now  a 
difficulty  arose  with  us  as  regarded  carrying  it.  The  clean- 
est thing  we  could  produce  was  my  white  pocket-handker- 
chief. There  was  no  help  for  it — I  had  to  sacrifice  it ;  and, 
wrapping  up  our  joint  store,  I  put  it  in  the  left  pocket  of 
•  my  coat,  which  from  this  time  served  as  my  larder.  An 
hour  before  sunset  every  thing  was  packed  away,  and  we 
were  informed  that  a  long  march  was  before  us.  I  was 
very  cold,  and  a  biting  wind  was  blowing,  so  that  I  was 
rather  rejoiced  than  otherwise,  for  I  dreaded  sleeping  in 
the  open  air  these  damp  cold  nights.  I  always  dreaded, 
too,  waking  up  in  the  morning,  on  account  of  the  piercing 
cold — dreaming,  perchance,  of  home,  and  then  suddenly  find- 
ing myself  in  the  midst  of  these  ruffians. 

It  was  a  long  up-hill  walk  through  the  forest ;  we  rested 
once  for  an  hour,  and  then  started  off  again  in  Indian  file. 
It  was  very  dark,  and  again  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
following.  I  found  the  best  plan  was  to  grasp  with  my  left 
hand  the  shoulder  or  muzzle  of  the  gun  of  the  man  before 
me.  As  we  approached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  the 
force  of  the  wind  and  cold  increased.  Several  of  those  in 
front  went  on,  while  we  were  halted  and  told  to  lie  down, 
as  the  tops  of  the  mountains  were  always  considered  dan- 
gerous, for  the  soldiers  are  often  stationed  there,  and  make 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  125 

baraques,  or  round  huts,  of  fresh-cut  boughs,  in  which  they 
pass  the  nights.  With  what  envy  I  passed  these !  I  looked 
on  them  as  palaces,  and  always  asked  the  brigands  why  they 
did  not  use  them,  but  a  shake  of  the  forefinger  was  the  in- 
variable reply.  After  reconnoitring  some  way  in  advance, 
a  low  whistle  informed  us  that  all  was  right.  We  were 
told  to  rise,  and  a  few  steps  took  us  to  the  top. 

May  26.  On  looking  about,  I  found  that  we  were  on  the 
summit  of  a  very  high  mountain  (Monte  Polveracchio). 
Morning  was  beginning  to  dawn,  and  I  could  perceive 
mountains  all  l'ound  us.  In  the  distance,  toward  the  west, 
I  fancied  I  saw  the  sea,  which  proved  to  be  the  case.  When 
it  grew  more  light,  toward  the  northwest  I  perceived  the 
outline  of  the  mountains  at  the  back  of  Salerno,  and  stretch- 
ing out  to  sea  was  the  part  beyond  Vietri.  I  felt  too  mis- 
erable to  look  longer  in  that  direction,  the  idea  of  actually 
seeing  the  place  where  my  dear  wife  probably  was  being 
too  much  for  me.  Fortunately,  the  march  now  required  all 
my  attention ;  it  was  along  the  sharp  edge  of  the  summit, 
and  in  many  places  a  false  step  on  either  side  would  have 
been  attended  with  great  danger,  for,  on  account  of  the 
precipices  on  each  side,  every  step  had  to  be  taken  with 
care  and  judgment,  the  more  so  because  of  the  furious  wind 
which  threatened  often  to  blow  me  over  the  edge.  When 
we  had  gone  some  way  along  this  narrow  part,  I  perceived 
a  town  below  us,  on  a  small  and  perfectly  level  plain,  one 
end  of  which  was  covered  with  large  chestnut-trees.  This, 
Visconti  told  me,  was  Acerno,  a  place  which  afterward  be- 
came of  great  importance  to  me,  as  I  was  eventually  set  free 
when  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  it. 

We  now  turned  off  toward  the  right  down  a  very  steep 
descent;  I  slipped  and  fell,  the  captain  seeing  which  told 
one  of  the  band  to  carry  my  capote,  which  I  was  carrying 


126         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

on  ray  back,  rolled  up  and  slung  with  a  piece  of  cord.  I 
was  delighted  at  being  eased  of  my  burden,  and  was  able  to 
walk  much  more  easily ;  my  feet  were  now  in  capital  walk- 
ing order,  and  my  boots,  though  by  no  means  new,  still  in 
fair  condition,  and  were  stout,  and  fitted  me  well.  This 
was  a  great  comfort,  for  it  was  heart-breaking  to  see  poor 
Don  Francesco,  who  suffered  dreadfully  from  blisters  at  his 
heels,  his  feet  being,  as  he  expressed  it,  "Tutti  consternati" 
Little  Tomasino  walked  capitally  for  a  boy,  but  he  and  Vis- 
conti  were  both  constantly  being  urged  on  by  the  brigands. 
I  always  walked  in  the  front  of  them,  and  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  up  at  their  pace.  After  having  descended 
for  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  we  saw  a  frightful  prec- 
ipice rising  perpendicularly  on  our  left,  and  a  deep  ravine 
below  us.  It  was  necessary  to  cross  the  ravine ;  but  the 
opposite  side  was  very  perpendicular,  and  the  rock  very 
loose  and  rotten.  A  halt  was  called  while  three  or  four  de- 
scended to  see  whether  it  was  practicable  to  ascend  the 
other  side.  When  they  reached  the  bottom  we  watched 
them  in  order  to  know  if  we  should  follow,  but  as  soon  as 
they  got  up  a  yard  or  so  the  rock  broke  away,  and  down 
they  slid  again ;  at  last,  after  about  an  hour,  we  saw  one  of 
them  appear  on  the  large  rock  that  jutted  out  at  the  top  of 
the  precipice  on  our  left,  about  500  feet  higher  than  where 
we  were.  He  called  out  to  us,  and  we  answered.  Wo 
were  horrified  with  the  idea  of  having  to  follow  to  that  in- 
accessible crag.  I  never  saw  a  place  more  fitted  for  an 
eagle's  nest.  'All  those  below  had  found  it  impossible  to 
follow  Luigi  in  scaling  the  crumbling  rock,  his  very  ascent 
having  made  it  impracticable  for  those  below  him.  He  sat 
down  contentedly,  and  watched  us  below.  After  a  short 
time,  we  heard  a  call  from  the  face  of  the  precipice.  We 
looked  round  and  saw  two  of  the  others  clinging  on  to  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  127 

face  of  it,  and  slowly  creeping,  without  their  shoes,  along  its 
surface.  At  one  spot  where  they  stopped,  the  little  ledge, 
three  or  four  inches  wide,  on  which  they  had  passed,  came 
to  an  end,  and  there  was  an  interval  of  four  or  five  feet 
without  an  atom  of  support  to  the  foot.  Luigi  saw  the  dif- 
ficulty ;  he  descended  to  them,  and,  stretching  out  his  arms, 
helped  the  foremost  one  to  pass.  This  was  done  successful- 
ly, after  some  minutes'  attempt,  and  when  the  others  saw 
him  safe  they  all  gave  a  little  kind  of  cheer.  I  declared  it 
impossible  to  reach  the  place,  for  I  saw  no  fun  in  risking 
my  neck  for  these  wretches ;  and  poor  Visconti  kept  appeal- 
ing to  heaven.  All  those  with  us  looked  very  blue ;  but, 
after  the  second  man  had  passed  safely,  the  captain  stepped 
forward  and  got  over  all  right.  The  three  now  looked  like 
a  little  flock  of  goats,  feeling  as  happy  at  having  passed 
safely  as  we  felt  miserable  at  the  prospect  of  doing  so. 

I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  being  outdone  by  these  men,  so 
I  volunteered  to  go  next.  I  found  mere  little  knobs  of  rock 
jutting  out.  Step  by  step  I  progressed,  without  daring  to 
take  my  eyes  off  my  feet  and  the  inequalities  in  the  surface, 
to  which  I  clung  with  my  hands.  It  was  a  fearful  place. 
I  stopped  for  a  moment  to  survey  my  position  above.  The 
rock  was  500  feet  high,  and  below  there  was  a  sheer  de- 
scent of  800  to  1000  feet.  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  pos- 
sess rather  a  hard  head,  not  given  to  dizziness,  but  I  confess 
my  position  gave  me  rather  a  twist  for  a  moment.  How- 
ever, the  thought  that  the  other  three  had  passed  gave  me 
courage,  and  on  I  crept.  At  last  I  arrived  at  the  gap. 
One  of  those  that  had  passed  came  to  help  me.  I  stretched 
my  right  leg  as  far  as  I  could,  and,  with  a  spring,  over  I 
went,  and,  with  a  lighter  heart,  went  gayly  up  the  now  com- 
paratively easy  ascent  to  the  crag.  One  by  one  they  all 
came  over.     Poor  Visconti  was  helped  all  the  way,  and 


« 


128  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

when  he  reached  us  he  was  still  uttering  his  pious  ejacula- 
tions, with  his  hands  raised  toward  heaven.  We  now  went 
over  the  top,  and  descended  among  some  enormous  beeches 
where  the  wood-cutters  had  been  at  work,  leaving  innumer- 
able chips  covering  the  ground.  A  little  farther  on  we 
halted  for  the  day,  and  Luigi,  an  old  brigand  belonging  to 
Cerino's  band,  began  to  cut  at  a  great  piece  of  beechwood 
with  the  axe.  When  he  had  got  it  about  an  inch  thick,  I 
asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do  Avith  it,  and  he  told  me 
that  he  was  going  to  make  a  ramrod  for  a  man  called  Roc- 
co,  who  had  broken  the  one  belonging  to  his  gun.  Think- 
ing it  would  amuse  me  for  an  hour  or  two  to  make  it,  I  vol- 
unteered to  do  so,  and  Luigi  handed  the  stick  over  to  me, 
my  skill  at  spoon-making  having  caused  me  to  be  consid- 
ered talented,  as  they  expressed  it.  It  amused  them  much 
to  see  my  way  of  going  to  work.  I  rested  one  end  against 
my  chest,  and  the  other  in  a  notch  which  I  cut  in  a  tree 
with  the  axe,  and  then,  taking  one  of  their  murderous 
knives  by  the  handle  and  point,  I  sliced  little  pieces  off  till 
it  was  about  the  size  required.  All  the  band  collected 
round  me,  watching  me  with  admiring  eyes.  After  scrap- 
ing it  a  little  with  some  glass  from  a  bottle  broken  on  pur- 
pose, and  greasing  it  with  a  little  piece  of  fat  bacon,  it  was 
pronounced  perfect.  I  was  rather  proud  of  my  work.  It 
was  quite  straight  and  round,  and  fitted  the  gun  capitally. 

When  it  was  done,  a  bright  thought  struck  me.  I  asked 
them  what  it  would  cost  in  a  town.  "A  ducat,"  was  the 
answer.  Then  I  said, "  It  was  surely  worth  two  ducats  in 
the  woods."  "  Sicuro"  was  the  reply  all  round.  "  Then 
give  me  half  a  marengo" I  burst  out ;  " I  do  not  see  why 
you  should  not  pay  me  as  well  as  a  gunmaker."  Pepino, 
the  capo,  said  nothing,  but  all  the  rest  burst  out  laughing 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.     I  kept  demanding  it,  saying  "Da- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  129 

temi  il  denaro  /"  and  at  last  Pepino  drew  out  half  a  Napo- 
leon and  handed  it  over  to  me !  I  told  them  I  should  have 
"La  Banda  di  Manzo"  cut  on  it,  and  that  I  should  wear  it 
on  my  watch-chain.  This  delighted  them  immensely,  and 
they  were  good-tempered  with  me  all  that  day,  though 
there  was  a  great  lack  of  food,  and  we  were  reduced  to  eat- 
ing the  crumbs  and  dirt  at  the  bottom  of  our  pockets,  which 
were  always  afterward  reserved  for  such  occasions. 

An  hour  before  sunset  we  started  again,  passing  through 
the  dense  forest,  ascending  all  the  time  till  we  reached  the 
summit  of  the  mountain.  Here  we  rested  till  it  grew  dark, 
when  we  began  to  descend  the  open  grassy  side  facing  the 
southwest,  leaving  the  woods  behind  us  on  the  northern 
slopes.  This  was  generally  the  case  with  all  the  mountains, 
the  north  side  getting  less  of  the  hot  burning  sun,  and  thus 
retaining  more  of  the  moisture,  so  necessary  for  forest-trees. 

After  a  descent  of  400  or  500  feet,  we  came  to  a  shallow 
ravine  with  a  thicket  of  trees,  which  was  to  be  a  halting- 
place  for  the  night.  They  then  proceeded  to  select  the  sen- 
tinels for  the  night.     This  was  done  as  follows : 

All  the  band,  except  the  women  and  those  that  were  ill, 
stand  up  and  form  a  circle,  and  then,  at  a  signal  from  the 
captain,  throw  out  their  right  hands,  with  various  numbers 
of  fingei*s  extended,  in  the  same  way  as  the  national  game 
of  "La  Morra"  is  played.  The  captain,  now  inside  the  cir- 
cle, walks  round  and  counts  the  fingers  extended,  and  then, 
retaking  his  place,  counts  from  himself  all  round  the  circle, 
and  the  unlucky  man  on  whom  the  number  falls,  together 
with  his  neighbors,  have  to  commence  the  watch.  Three 
hours  is  the  usual  time. 

I  often  used  to  offer  to  take  my  turn,  especially  when 
only  one  sentinel  was  necessary,  but  I  was  always  refused 
with  laughter  and  thanks.     We  went  supperless  to  bed ; 

F2 


130         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

that  is,  we  lay  down  on  the  damp  ground,  Don  Francesco 
and  I  under  one  capote,  for  his  had  been  taken  away  by  one 
of  the  band,  they  considering  that  one  capote  was  plenty  for 
two.  There  was  always  a  debate  how  it  was  to  be  arranged, 
Visconti  wanting  it  to  be  all  above  us,  but  I  being  firm  in 
having  a  little  piece  underneath ;  so  we  spread  it  over,  and 
then  tucked  in  the  sides  underneath  to  lie  upon ;  but,  if 
either  turned,  it  reduced  the  other  to  grief.  Many  were  the 
growls  this  occasioned,  for  the  wet  soon  made  itself  felt  un- 
less the  cloak  was  well  under  us,  and  I  always  dreamt  of 
rheumatism. 

May  27.  We  all  woke  up  this  morning  very  cold  and 
stiff.  Little  fires  were  lighted  as  usual,  but  here  great  cau- 
tion was  requisite  because  of  our  exposed  position,  and 
many  were  the  ravings  directed  against  those  warming 
themselves,  on  account  of  more  smoke  rising  than  was  con- 
sidered prudent.  They  were  all  particularly  savage  this 
morning,  as  food  was  wanting,  and  this  always  excited  their 
ire  against  the  unfortunate  captives,  and  at  the  present  time 
against  me  in  particular,  for  no  letters  or  money  had  been 
received  from  my  friends.  For  a  long  time  they  kept  sur- 
rounding me,  pointing  guns,  revolvers,  and  knives  at  me, 
explaining  to  me  which  were  the  most  delicate  parts  of  the 
body,  and  how  life  was  the  most  easily  taken. 

I  always  made  it  a  point  to  appear  perfectly  unmoved  on 
these  occasions.  My  invariable  phrase  was  " Se  volete" 
implying  that  they  were  perfectly  at  liberty  to  take  my  life, 
and  that  in  doing  so  would  save  my  friends  and  myself  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  and  loss  of  money,  and  that  I  was 
quite  sure  that  they  cared  more  for  my  money  than  for 
taking  my  life.  After  a  short  time  I  found  that  my  perfect 
indifference  rather  amused  them,  and  "  Se  volete"  became 
by-words  of  the  band  for  every  thing  whereby  indifference 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  20  to  27.  131 

was  implied.  We  had  very  little  food  the  last  two  days, 
but  to-day  there  was  nothing  whatever,  and  I  grumbled 
immensely,  telling  them  that  Englishmen  always  eat  double 
the  amount  of  food  that  Italians  are  satisfied  with.  Poor 
Visconti  wrung  his  hands,  perpetually  saying  "  Terribile ! 
terribile  /"  Supperless  we  lay  down  last  night,  supperless 
we  did  the  same  to-night,  trying  to  make  the  best  of  it,  and 
hoping  for  better  luck  the  next  day. 


132         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Diaby  of  Me.  Moens,  May  28. 

The  second  Sunday. — Good  News  for  Visconti. — More  Letter-writing. 
— An  Attempt  at  Sketching. — The  Englishman's  Appetite. — Alarms. 
— The  Soldiers. — A  Tradimento. — Death  of  Luigi. — Thoughts  of  Es- 
caping.— The  drying  Process. — Difficulty  of  Washing. — A  wounded 
Brigandess. — Assistance  given  by  the  Peasants  to  the  Brigands. — De- 
scription of  the  Band. — A  regular  Feed  for  once  in  a  way. — Pot-luck. 
— Unpleasant  Sleeping-quarters. — Sheep-stealers. 

May  28.  Sunday,  and  a  lovely  day ;  the  air  as  clear  as 
crystal.  I  counted  seven  separate  ridges  of  mountains  be- 
tween our  lair  and  Salerno.  Each  seemed  to  stand  up  clear 
and  distinct  by  itself.  I  could  distinguish  the  white  houses 
of  the  town,  and  tried  to  fancy  that  I  could  see  the  Hotel 
Vittoria.  I  could  distinguish  two  steamers,  which  I  set 
down  as  Florio's  boats,  coming  from  or  going  to  Palermo, 
and  I  remembered  our  happy  voyage  from  that  city  only  a 
little  more  than  a  fortnight  ago.  A  trifle  to  the  south  I 
could  distinguish  the  temples  of  Paestum,  and  some  ten 
miles  to  the  north  of  these  a  few  white  houses,  representing 
Battipaglia,  where  the  ruffians  who  surrounded  me  had  lain 
in  waiting  for  so  many  hours.  The  panorama  was  superb. 
I  tried  to  enjoy  it,  but  my  heart  was  too  sad ;  I  could  only 
think  of  all  those  that  were  striving  to  procure  my  release. 

At  eleven  o'clock  I  took  out  my  Prayer-book  and  went 
through  the  service,  and  thought  of  those  many  hundred  of 
thousands  of  our  Church  who  were  then  doing  the  same. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moe?is,  May  28.  133 

As  I  read  I  was  frequently  interrupted  by  the  brigands 
asking  me  what  I  was  reading,  and  wanting  to  look  at  the 
book.  After  a  few  days  they  ceased  troubling  me  in  this 
manner,  for  they  all  had  great  respect  for  any  prayer  or 
other  sacred  book. 

In  the  afternoon  we  inquired  again  when  food  was  com- 
ing, but  could  get  no  other  response  than  an  angry  "  Who 
knows  ?"  All  at  once  whistles  and  other  signals  were  heard, 
and  immediately  each  grasped  his  gun  and  ran  forward  in  a 
stooping  position  to  face  the  danger ;  but  the  word  "  Com- 
pagnV  set  them  all  at  ease  again,  and  Lorenzo  Guerino  and 
four  or  five  others  came  up.  Visconti  was  in  the  greatest 
state  of  excitement,  and  asked  if  there  was  any  more  money 
for  him.  Joy  spread  over  his  countenance  as  they  replied 
in  the  affirmative,  and  seven  fingers  were  held  out  to  repre- 
sent 7000  ducats.  I  wanted  him  to  rush  forward  to  receive 
his  letters,  but  he  feared  the  ravings  with  which  his  impa- 
tience would  be  met,  for  all  letters  were  always  read  by 
their  lordships  before  being  handed  over  to  us  prisoners; 
but  Don  Elia's  writing  was  too  much  for  Manzo  or  Andrea, 
the  seci'etary  of  Pepino,  and  Don  Francesco  was  told  to  sit 
down  by  Manzo's  side,  and  read  his  father's  letters  out  loud. 

More  signals  were  now  heard,  the  same  scene  of  excite- 
ment was  gone  through,  and  Zacharia,  a  domestic  of  Vis- 
conti's  household,  was  led  forward,  bearing  bread,  wine,  and 
a  little  chocolate  and  some  sweets  from  Don  Elia  and  his 
brother,  in  order,  as  the  letter  to  Tomasino  expressed  it, 
"  to  assuage  that  hunger  of  which  you  complain."  This,  of 
course,  was  immediately  taken  by  the  band,  and  divided  in 
equal  shares,  Sentonio  cutting  all  the  cheese,  supersato,  and 
sausages  with  scrupulous  impartiality.  I  fortunately  fell 
across  the  little  basket  while  Francesco  Cicco  had  it.  I  saw 
five  cakes  of  chocolate,  and  appropriated  two  before  I  could 


134         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

be  stopped  for  Visconti  and  myself,  but,  alas !  the  women 
got  wind  of  this,  and  came  to  me  for  some.  I  had  to  dis- 
gorge at  least  a  third  of  what  I  had  secured,  and  the  sweets 
were  also  divided,  but  Yisconti  and  I  got  none.  They  now 
came  for  my  leather  drinking-cup,  and  the  enormous  bottle 
of  wine  was  speedily  emptied,  the  cup  being  passed  round 
full  to  each.  The  day  of  starvation  was  turned  into  afesta, 
but  at  the  expense  of  the  two  Viscontis ;  for  the  supply  of 
food,  which  was  meant  to  last  them  till  more  could  be  sent, 
was  eaten  up  at  one  fell  swoop  by  these  ruffians.  Fifteen 
thousand  ducats  had  now  been  paid  by  the  family  of  Yis- 
conti for  their  two  unfortunate  members,  and  Don  Elia,  in 
his  letter,  pleaded  great  poverty,  and  desired  to  know  how 
much  more  was  requisite  in  order  to  free  them.  Many  of 
the  band  demanded  all  the  sum  originally  asked,  viz.,  40,000 
ducats,  equal  to  £6800 ;  but,  after  a  thoroughly  Italian  dis- 
pute, and  many  threats  toward  the  unhappy  victims,  25,000 
ducats,  or  £4150,  was  the  amount  settled  upon ;  and  it  was 
intimated  that  if  this  sum  was  not  completed  and  sent  im- 
mediately, ears  and  fingers  would  be  dispatched  to  Giffoni 
forthwith.  Poor  little  Tomasino  was  made  to  write  in  a 
similar  strain,  only  that  his  head  was  to  be  sent,  ears  and 
all.  It  was  a  touching  scene  to  see  the  poor  little  fellow 
writing  his  letter  in  a  large  round-hand  writing. 

I  was  now  taken  in  hand,  and  told  to  write  to  the  consul 
and  my  wife,  but,  to  my  great  grief,  was  forbidden  to  write 
one  word  of  English.  Visconti  was  tutored  by  Manzo  as 
to  the  substance  of  my  letter,  and,  after  a  short  time,  two 
long  letters  were  written.  I  was  very  anxious  that  the  in- 
surance on  my  life  should  not  be  forgotten  to  be  paid.  So, 
after  a  great,  deal  of  trouble,  I  got  leave  to  insert  the  names 
of  friends  of  mine  in  England,  and  with  them  a  hint  as  to 
the  insurance. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moem,  May  28.  135 

I  had  forgotten  the  date,  and  so  misdated  my  letters  the 
26th  instead  of  the  28th.* 

The  division  of  the  food,  eating  it,  and  the  letter- writing 
had  made  the  time  pass  so  quickly  that  we  had  not  noticed 
the  shades  of  evening  that  had  darkened  around  us,  and 
down  we  lay  again,  thanking  God  for  the  merciful  sending 
of  the  food,  which  had  turned  our  starvation  into  compara- 
tive plenty — the  brigands  who  had  brought  the  money  hav- 
ing also  brought  a  large  supply  of  bread. 

During  the  night  there  was  again  an  alarm,  but  this  turn- 
ed out  to  be  a  false  one,  or  rather  of  no  account ;  but  the 
next  day  proved  it  to  be  a  spy  of  the  troops  sniffing  round 
us.  Had  it  been  known  who  it  was,  his  life  would  have  an- 
swered for  it. 

May  29.  It  was  a  cold,  damp  night,  and  in  the  morning, 
when  we  were  awakened  by  the  usual  kick  and  alarm,  we 
found  every  thing  enveloped  in  a  dense  fog;  the  captain 
told  off  ten  men  to  go  with  him  in  order  to  receive  the  an- 
swers to  our  letters,  and  any  money  that  might  be  sent. 

We  were  sent  off  under  the  charge  of  Pepino  and  the 
rest  of  the  two  bands.     The  Viscontis  were  the  property 

*  After  this  I  took  a  little  piece  of  paper,  and  on  it  endeavored  to  sketch 
the  superb  view  before  us.  All  stood  round  me  passing  comments  on  the 
Inglese  that  was  supposed  to  be  able  to  do  every  thing.  (My  being  able 
to  tell  them  the  nationality  of  their  guns  and  pistols  had  surprised  them.) 
They  did  not  quite  like  this  new  amusement,  and  in  a  day  or  two  destroy- 
ed my  sketch  and  got  hold  of  my  pencil,  to  the  disappointment  of  both 
Visconti  and  myself.  He  was  always  making  abstruse  calculations  of 
francs,  ducats,  and  Napoleons,  and,  being  without  a  pencil,  had  always 
borrowed  mine.  This  sketch  was  talked  about  to  the  peasants,  then  at 
Salerno,  and  then  through  the  Italian  journals  to  the  English  papers, 
magnified,  of  course,  and  many  of  my  friends  were  disappointed  that  I 
have  not  a  complete  set  of  sketches  illustrating  my  life  among  the  brig- 
ands. 


136  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

of  his  band,  while  I  belonged  to  Manzo's,  unfortunately  for 
me ;  for  Pepino  and  his  men  had  no  interest  in  my  expected 
ransom,  and  all  the  time  I  was  under  his  charge  I  was  mis- 
erably treated :  unfair  shares  of  food,  blows,  threats,  and 
constant  bullying,  were  what  I  had  to  put  up  with. 

We  retraced  our  steps  of  Saturday  evening  and  ascended 
the  steep  hill.  How  I  groaned  mentally  as  I  dragged  my 
legs,  so  stiff  from  the  effects  of  the  damp  ground,  up  the  as- 
cent! When  we  reached  the  top  we  did  not  descend  the 
other  side,  but  turned  to  the  left  and  went  along  the  narrow 
ridge.  We  experienced  the  same  difficulties  as  before  on 
account  of  the  sharpness  of  the  ridge  causing  our  passing 
along  it  to  be  so  exceedingly  dangerous.  At  one  place  an 
enormous  precipitous  rock  barred  the  way,  its  flat  sides 
overhanging  on  each  side.  After  examining  it  all  round, 
we  found  a  place  at  one  corner  where,  by  being  pulled  up 
from  above  and  being  pushed  up  from  below,  we  succeeded 
one  by  one  in  ascending  a  few  yards,  and  then,  passing 
round  the  corner,  went  some  way  along  a  narrow  ledge, 
and  found  at  last  a  more  practicable  path.  A  little  farther 
on  we  found  two  baraque ;  the  boughs  with  which  they 
were  made  looked  as  if  they  had  been  built  only  two  days 
before,  and  the  leaves  were  quite  fresh,  and  not  at  all  with- 
ered. "Laforza!"  was  the  sudden  cry  of  all,  and  at  once 
all  eyes  were  on  the  ground  looking  for  the  footmarks  of 
the  soldiers,  and  they  were  immediately  estimated  at  fifty 
in  number. 

After  walking  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  came  to 
what  was  considered  a  proper  place  for  concealing  our- 
selves ;  the  narrow  ridge  ceased  suddenly,  forming  a  preci- 
pice of  some  hundreds  of  feet,  making  our  lair  quite  secure 
on  the  side  facing  the  north,  while  on  the  west  there  was 
another  precipice.     On  the  south  of  the  ridge  and  eastward 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  137 

there  was  a  narrow  ascent  covered  with  brushwood  and 
large  trees;  there  were  two  enormous  beech-trees  in  the 
two  northern  corners,  and  another  in  the  southwestern. 
We  were  told  to  lie  down  while  Pavone  and  Justi  cut  down 
small  trees  and  branches,  which  were  placed  between  these 
trees  in  order  to  make  the  place  more  secure.  In  the  cen- 
tre there  was  a  large  stone,  weighing  about  a  ton ;  this  was 
attacked  next,  but  it  was  more  than  they  could  manage,  as 
it  was  three  parts  sunk  in  the  ground;  but  Sentonio  and 
Pavone  persevered,  and  by  undermining  it,  and  cutting  a 
huge  branch  to  use  as  a  lever,  it  was  moved  out  of  the  way 
to  one  side,  and  the  place  made  level. 

These  operations,  took  some  time,  and  they  were  only  just 
completed,  when  a  sudden  grasping  of  guns,  and  a  move- 
ment of  all  in  the  direction  from  which  we  had  come,  made 
the  hearts  of  us  prisoners  jump  into  our  throats.  I  had  not 
yet  got  accustomed,  as  I  did  very  soon,  to  these  sudden 
alarms.  The  brigands'  senses  of  hearing  and  seeing  were 
extraordinarily  acute ;  their  very  lives  depended  on  them ; 
they  could  always  detect  the  appi'oach  of  any  one  many 
hundred  yards  off;  I  soon  acquired  the  same  habit,  and  oft- 
en told  them  of  the  approach  of  those  who  were  fetching 
food  and  water.  On  this  occasion  the  blue  clothing  of  the 
comer  soon  told  them  that  it  was  one  of  their  companions, 
and  he  rushed  into  the  centre  of  the  group,  saying,  in  hur- 
ried accents,  that  there  had  been  a  tradimento,  and  that  two 
companies  of  soldiers  surrounded  the  place  where  we  had 
passed  Saturday  night  and  Sunday  only  a  few  minutes  after 
we  had  left  it,  and  that  we  must  immediately  leave  the 
neighborhood.  Many  were  the  imprecations  uttered  against 
the  troops.  I  can  not  admit  that  we  prisoners  looked  on 
them  as  likely  to  be  our  deliverers  —  the  chances  seemed 
one  hundred  to  one  against  our  being  rescued  by  them  ;  for 


138  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  soldiers  blaze  away  at  any  thing  moving,  and  the  pris- 
oners always  stood  the  same  chance  of  being  hit  as  the 
brigands.  Besides,  Manzo  had  given  strict  orders  to  all  his 
followers  to  shoot  us  immediately  there  appeared  the  slight- 
est chance  of  our  escaping ;  and  the  band  were  always  the 
most  savage  against  me  because  I  was  an  Englishman,  and 
they  feared  that  I  would  give  information,  when  native  pris- 
oners dared  not,  for  fear  of  the  vengeance  of  the  band.* 
Fortunately  Ferdinando  brought  with  him  a  maccatore  full 
of  bread,  which  served  for  our  breakfast ;  but  no  time  was 
allowed  us  to  eat  it  now,  as  all  the  robe  were  collected,  and 
off  we  went  again  toward  the  east,  walking  for  three  or 
four  hours  down  hill  before  we  pulled  up.  The  scenery  was 
most  monotonous,  the  whole  way  being  through  one  in- 
terminable forest  of  beech-trees.  The  path  was  exceedingly 
steep,  and  we  often  had  to  cling  on  by  the  branches  of  one 
tree,  not  leaving  hold  till  we  could  stop  our  impetus  against 
the  stem  of  another. 

About  the  middle  of  the  day  a  furious  thunder-storm 
came  on  as  usual,  and  we  all  took  refuge  under  trees  from 
the  terrific  shower  of  rain  that  fell.  Don  Francesco  and  I 
sat  crouched  up  under  the  capote  that  had  been  given  to 
me.  We  were  under  a  large  beech,  but  very  soon  the  rain 
came  pouring  down  from  the  branches  on  us,  but  we  could 
not  move  because  every  where  the  ground  was  running 
with  water.  Below  us  was  a  plain  with  two  villages  in 
sight.  I  told  Visconti  that  I  thought  it  was  his  country, 
but  he  did  not  seem  to  know  it,  and  laughed  at  me  for  at- 
tempting to  know  a  place  I  had  never  seen.    I  told  him 

*  How  many  are  now  living  in  terror  in  consequence  of  having  given 
evidence  against  atrocious  villains,  whose  lives  have  been  spared  some 
day,  perhaps,  to  commit  new  atrocities  !  Read  the  history  of  the  brothers 
La  Gala,  in  Mr.  Hilton's  "  Brigandage  in  Southern  Italy, "  vol.  ii. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens^  May  28.  139 

that  Giffoni  was  a  little  more  to  our  left,  shut  out  from  our 
sight  by  a  mountain.  (I  was  quite  right,  as  it  turned  out ; 
and  he  recalled  the  circumstance  to  my  mind  when  I  was 
at  Giffoni  after  my  release,  and  he  pointed  out  to  me  the 
mountain  where  we  had  been  on  that  day.) 

Well  do  I  remember  that  day  and  place,  for  a  terrible 
judgment  fell  on  Luigi,  one  of  Cerino's  band.  I  was  all  the 
more  impressed  with  it  on  account  of  an  occurrence  that 
took  place  two  days  before.  Seeing  a  little  cross  and  beads 
in  the  hands  of  the  man,  and  being  always  on  the  look-out 
for  little  reminiscences,  I  asked  him  for  it ;  but  his  reply  was, 
"  What !  give  you  my  life  ?"  He  explained  to  me  that,  if 
he  lost  or  parted  with  it,  he  would  soon  lose  his  life.  Luigi 
was  sitting  on  a  mass  of  rock  a  few  yards  from  me,  with 
Pepino,  Doniella,  and  two  or  three  others  close  to  him.  Be- 
tween them  and  me,  on  the  right-hand  side,  there  was  a  lit- 
tle gap,  and  below  the  mountain  was  rather  steep.  On  our 
left  it  was  level  for  a  short  distance,  and  then  rose  to  a 
great  height.  All  at  once  the  cry  of  "La  Forza"  was  raised, 
and  off  they  all  ran,  those  sitting  by  us  driving  us  on.  Most 
of  them  ran  up  hill.  I  darted  through  the  gap  on  my  right; 
for  I  thought  that,  if  the  troops  came  on,  when  I  got  below 
I  could  double  back  toward  them ;  but  that  wretch  Andrea, 
the  executioner,  came  after  me,  and  told  me  to  stop.  It 
was  a  false  alarm,  and  Visconti  and  I  returned  back  to  the 
place  we  had  kept  dry  under  the  beech,  and  sat  down  in 
our  old  position,  but  in  two  or  three  minutes  some  one  said, 
"  Where  is  Luigi  ?"  He  was  not  to  be  seen,  but  one  of 
them  found  his  capote  where  he  had  been  sitting.  Three 
paces  from  it  was  a  precipice  of  about  2000  feet,  and  the 
poor  fellow  had  in  his  fright  gone  clean  over  it,  not  having 
noticed  the  danger  when  he  sat  down.  A  cry  of  horror 
was  raised  at  the  discovery,  and  tears  rose  in  the  eyes  of  all 


140         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

his  companions.  I  could  not  but  feel  much  affected  at  his 
awful  death,  though  at  the  same  time  I  confess  I  counted 
four  on  my  fingers,  that  being  the  number  now  disposed  of 
since  I  had  been  taken  by  the  band,  and  I  thought  to  my- 
self that  the  more  that  were  killed  the  better  chance  I 
should  have  of  escaping.  Luigi  feared  the  hand  of  man, 
but  little  thought  that,  by  his  own  act,  he  was  rushing,  with 
all  the  sins  of  four  years'  brigandage  on  his  head,  into  the 
presence  of  his  Maker ! 

The  women  were  most  affected,  shedding  tears ;  and 
"povero  Luigi. f"  was  the  exclamation  of  all.  He  was  a 
tall,  thin  man,  about  forty  years  of  age,  very  reserved,  and 
with  far  more  forethought  than  most  Italians.  He  was  very 
careful  and  saving ;  his  clothing  was  old  and  full  of  repairs. 
He  always  mended  a  rent  immediately.  He  carried  on  his 
back  a  wallet  of  sheepskin,  in  which  were  stowed  away 
many  useful  articles,  such  as  scissors,  an  awl  for  mending 
boots,  etc.,  etc.  His  trowsers  fitted  close  to  the  leg,  and  he 
wore  large,  thick  woolen  gaiters. 

After  a  few  minutes'  lamentation  they  went  down  the 
mountain  in  order  to  find  his  body,  for  there  was  but  little 
doubt  as  to  his  fate.  After  about  three  quarters  of  an 
hour's  descent  we  were  halted,  while  the  band  went  a  little 
way  up  the  ravine  on  our  left  to  search  for  him.  They  soon 
found  him  lying  on  the  snow  with  which  the  ravine  was 
filled.  He  was  quite  dead,  with  his  back  broken  and  his 
head  smashed  in.  "While  the  search  for  the  body  was  going 
on  we  had  been  halted  in  the  midst  of  some  tall  broom,  un- 
der the  charge  of  Pavone,  and  after  a  few  minutes  we  went 
on  along  the  narrow  footpath.  I  was  in  front,  and,  instead 
of  turning  to  the  left,  went  straight  on,  Visconti,  Tomasino, 
and  Pavone  following  me.  "When  the  rest  of  the  band,  who 
had  returned  from  their  sad  task,  perceived  us,  they  gave  a 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  141 

signal  cry  to  tell  us  where  they  were  —  about  300  yards  on 
our  left,  on  the  other  side  of  a  little  stream. 

I  now  thought  of  attempting  to  escape  by  running  along 
the  path ;  but  it  was  at  least  two  miles  to  the  village  I  had 
seen  in  the  morning,  and  it  was  getting  dark,  and  I  should 
have  had  to  cross  two  small  mountains,  and  the  odds  were 
too  heavy  against  me ;  so  that  when  Pavone  found  out  he 
had  mistaken  the  path,  he  called  out  to  me,  and  I  turned 
back  with  the  rest.  He  was  in  an  awful  rage,  danced  in  the 
air  with  passion,  and  cocked  his  gun  ready  for  use,  had  any 
one  of  us  attempted  to  escape.  Had  the  path  been  well  de- 
fined and  level,  and  the  time  earlier  in  the  day,  I  think  I 
should  have  attempted  it,  for  I  was  at  least  fifty  yards  ahead, 
and  before  he  could  have  fired  at  me  I  should  have  been  a 
hundred  yards  off;  and  I  knew  that  he  had  only  a  musket, 
and  before  he  could  have  loaded  again  I  should  have  been 
at  a  safe  distance ;  but  the  two  miles  to  the  town  and  the 
difficulties  of  the  way  determined  me  to  wait  for  a  more 
favorable  opportunity.  I  was  always  on  the  look-out  to  es- 
cape, and  constantly  bore  in  mind  which  direction  would 
take  me  to  the  town ;  but  Pavone  and  Scope  never  let  me 
go  out  of  their  sight,  and  I  could  never  move  my  position, 
either  day  or  night,  without  the  exclamation  of  "  Che  fate  ?" 
or  '•'•Dove  andate  i3"  I  could  not  even  sit  up  without  being 
told  to  lie  down  directly.  (I  never  had  but  one  chance, 
which  I  will  relate  hereafter.)  When  we  joined  the  rest 
of  the  band,  I  found  them  all  plunged  in  grief;  they  had 
sti-ipped  poor  Luigi  of  all  that  might  prove  useful,  but  his 
clothes,  being  old  and  ragged,  were  left  upon  him. 

Poor  fellow !  He  was  left  on  the  snow  just  as  he  lay 
when  they  found  him,  and  in  a  few  days  the  vultures  that 
abound  in  this  district  would  no  doubt  leave  nothing  but 
his  bones  to  bleach  in  the  mountain  air,  probably  never 


142  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

again  to  be  seen  by  human  eye.  I  asked  for  some  little 
memento  of  him,  and  they  gave  me  the  little  bag  full  of 
pictures  of  saints,  which  Italians  of  the  lower  class  always 
carry  on  their  persons.  In  it  were  also  three  little  leaves 
and  some  pieces  of  the  gum  used  for  incense  in  the  churches. 

After  a  short  time,  on  we  went ;  it  was  now  dark,  and  we 
left  the  path,  and  directed  our  course  through  a  thick  wood 
along  the  bottom  of  the  mountain.  The  trees  were  very 
wet,  and  as  we  pushed  the  branches  on  one  side  in  order  to 
pass,  we  were  soaked  through  by  the  falling  drops;  our 
feet,  too,  and  trowsers,  were  thoroughly  drenched,  and  I 
groaned  inwardly  at  the  prospect  of  our  night's  rest,  or 
rather  the  want  of  it. 

After  two  hours'  more  walking,  when  we  were  nearly 
dead  beat,  a  low  whisper  of  "fuoco"  was  raised  by  those 
ahead,  and  we  were  told  to  walk  "cete  a  cete^ — that  is, 
as  silently  as  possible ;  and  in  five  minutes  we  were  halted, 
while  two  went  on  to  see  the  cause  of  the  fire  in  the  wood, 
as  the  soldiers  were  known  to  be  all  round,  and  it  was  feared 
that  this  might  be  one  of  their  encampments.  It  proved, 
however,  to  be  only  the  fire  of  some  wood-cutters,  so  we 
were  moved  on  at  a  signal  from  the  advanced  guard,  and  in 
three  minutes  we  were  warming  ourselves  round  the  wel- 
come blaze.  Two  peasants  were  there  when  we  came  up, 
but  in  a  few  minutes,  two  more,  who  had  retired  on  our  ap- 
proach, advanced  from  the  darkness  round.  These  were 
old  friends,  if  one  could  judge  from  the  kisses  and  warm 
embraces  with  which  they  were  greeted  by  several  of  the 
band.  To  our  great  delight,  on  one  side  of  the  fire  a  tall 
rock  overhung  a  little,  and  had  thus  kept  the  ground  under 
it  quite  dry ;  this  was  strewed  with  dry  moss,  and  Visconti 
and  I  sat  down  on  it,  and,  to  our  joy,  were  allowed  to  re- 
main there.     I  was  dreadfully  hungry,  not  having  had  any 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  143 

thing  to  eat  since  our  meagre  breakfast  of  literally  only  a 
mouthful  of  black  bread.  My  eye  fell  on  a  maccatore  hung 
on  a  corner  of  the  rock,  in  which  was  a  little  Indian-corn 
bread.  I  asked  one  of  the  wood-cutters  if  he  would  give  it 
me ;  but,  with  curses  from  the  band,  I  was  told  not  to  touch 
it.  It  was  handed  over  to  one  of  them,  and  two  more  loaves 
being  produced,  the  whole  was  divided  in  equal  shares,  and 
I  ate  my  portion  with  gratitude,  thanking  God  for  the  unex- 
pected fire  and  shelter  that  we  had  fallen  in  with. 

I  took  off  my  boots  and  socks,  and  dried  them  as  well  as 
I  could,  but  before  they  were  half  dry  I  was  made  to  put 
them  on  for  fear  of  our  being  surprised,  and  my  not  being 
able  to  run  away  barefooted.  This  fear  caused  them  always 
to  forbid  my  removing  any  of  my  clothing  for  washing  pur- 
poses. I  stood  and  dried  my  capote  and  garments  as  long 
as  I  was  allowed  to  do  so,  turning  round  and  round,  as 
though  roasting  on  a  jack.  It  was  near  midnight  before 
we  laid  down,  curled  up  on  the  moss  that  was  to  have 
served  as  the  wood-cutters'  couch.  They  sat  round  the  fire, 
conversing  with  the  band,  who  thus  heard  all  the  news  of 
the  district,  and  were  told  of  all  the  movements  of  the 
troops.  Visconti  and  I  slept  soundly,  but  were  woke  up  as 
usual  at  an  hour  before  daybreak. 

May  30.  We  left  the  wood-cutters,  who  were  presented 
with  a  Napoleon  as  a  complimento,  and  we  ascended  higher 
up  the  mountain.  An  hour's  walk  brought  us  to  a  level 
space,  concealed  by  trees  all  round.  On  one  side  a  gully, 
where  the  winter  rains  ran  down,  formed  a  straight  path 
down  the  mountain  side.  We  had  to  lie  down  on  the  wet 
grass,  but  soon  forgot  these  little  cares  in  more  sleep. 
When  we  awoke  again  at  about  seven  or  eight  o'clock, 
we  asked  for  bread,  but  were  told  that  we  should  have 
none  all  day,  and  that  there  would  be  no  water. 


144  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

In  the  middle  of  the  day  there  was  one  of  the  usual 
alarms,  which  proved  to  be  caused  by  four  or  five  more  of 
the  band  who  had  come  to  join  us.  With  them  was  one  of 
the  women — Concetta.  Poor  girl !  she  had  been  shot  right 
through  the  upper  part  of  the  arm  through  the  accidental 
discharge  of  one  of  the  guns.  The  ball  had  broken  the  bone 
in  two,  and  the  arm  was  suspended  and  wrapped  up  in  nu- 
merous pocket-handkerchiefs.  She  did  not  utter  a  groan  or 
murmur.  Much  concern  for  her  was  exhibited  by  all,  and 
all  strove  to  do  what  little  they  could  for  her.  Natural 
ammoniated  water  was  used  to  bathe  and  dress  it  with,  and 
a  shirt  was  torn  up  and  unraveled  to  furnish  lint.  Cicco 
acted  as  surgeon,  and  no  one  could  have  been  more  tender 
in  his  treatment  of  her.  No  food  was  given  to  us  all  day, 
but,  to  my  joy,  I  found  in  my  pocket  a  morsel  of  bread  that 
I  had  forgotten.  I  shared  it  with  Don  Francesco,  and  then 
turned  out  my  pockets,  and,  picking  out  the  dirt,  ate  the 
crumbs  which  I  found  there.  We  heard  from  the  newly- 
arrived  brigands  to-day  that  the  troops  were  all  round  us. 
Great  caution  was  observed.  In  the  evening  two  or  three 
ascended  the  mountain  to  search  for  snow,  and  in  about  an 
hour  and  a  half  returned  with  a  great  mass  carried  on  a 
stick.  We  ate  a  quantity  of  this  to  assuage  our  thirst,  not 
having  had  any  water  for  twenty-four  hours.  I  found  this 
want  of  drink  very  trying  at  first,  but  soon  had  to  get  ac- 
customed to  it,  and  to  fare  still  worse. 

The  news  was  also  spread  round  to-day  that  the  govern- 
ment was  going  to  pay  for  me,  and  that,  as  this  was  so,  they 
were  going  to  demand  a  much  larger  ransom.  This  dis- 
turbed me  dreadfully,  and  kept  me  awake  all  night.  I  talk- 
ed much  to  Visconti  on  the  subject.  He  told  me  it  was  very 
bad  news  for  me,  and  might  be  the  cause  of  my  being  de- 
tained a  long  time.     Tomasino,  like  a  boy  as  he  was,  took 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  145 

the  greatest  pleasure  in  worrying  me,  declaring  to  me  that 
the  brigands  had  told  him  again  that  if  the  government  paid 
they  would  require  1,000,000  ducats;  and  that,  even  if  I  paid 
this,  I  should  have  plenty  left,  because  of  the  great  riches 
which  they  all  declared  I  possessed.  He  also  greatly  an- 
noyed his  cousin,  who  declared  that  he  was  a  vera  musca, 
alias  musqidto.  He  certainly  was  most  tiresome,  and  I  am 
afraid  that  at  times  I  quite  lost  my  patience  with  him,  and 
frequently  kept  my  stick  by  my  side  as  a  reminder  for  him 
not  to  come  too  near  me.  To  add  to  our  misery,  in  the 
evening  we  had  more  rain.  It  seemed  of  little  use  drying 
our  clothes,  or  spreading  them  on  a  branch  in  the  sun,  for 
they  were  no  sooner  dry  than  wet  again,  and  when  once 
soaked,  the  capote  took  two  or  three  days  to  get  moderately 
dry — perfectly  so  it  never  was  at  this  period.  To-night  I 
discovered  that  the  muslin  turban  that  I  used  to  wear  on 
my  straw-hat,  when  rolled  up  and  doubled,  made  a  capital 
comforter  to  wear  round  my  neck  at  night.  I  never  omit- 
ted to  use  this  afterward  until  the  weather  got  too  warm, 
when  it  made  a  secure  shelter  for  those  disgusting  little 
animals  from  which  I  suffered  so  much  a  little  later. 

Had  all  the  sufferings  I  had  to  endure  eventually  come 
upon  me  daring  the  first  days,  I  do  not  know  how  I  should 
have  borne  them ;  but  they  seemed  to  come  on  gradually, 
and  what  I  thought  dreadful  at  first  I  got  to  think  little  of 
afterward. 

May  31.  It  rained  nearly  all  night,  and  there  was  a  cold, 
cutting  wind,  so  we  accordingly  woke  up  in  the  morning, 
if  possible,  colder  and  stiffer  than  usual,  and  we  had  to 
straighten  our  knees  entirely  by  rubbing  them,  as  no  fire 
could  be  made  on  account  of  the  troops  around  us.  We 
were  not  allowed  to  move  or  speak  all  the  first  part  of  tho 
dav,  fifty  soldiers  having  passed  along  the  valley  a  little 

G 


146         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

after  the  break  of  day,  and  there  were  two  posts  not  far 
from  us.  The  wood  -  cutters,  who  had  been  busy  felling 
trees  all  yesterday,  and  the  sound  of  whose  strokes  had  en- 
livened the  solitude,  were  quite  silent  to-day.  I  presume 
they  had  left  the  neighborhood,  evidently  fearing  being  im- 
plicated with  the  doings  of  the  band,  should  the  troops  dis- 
cover where  we  were;  for  the  peasants  were  thrown  into 
prison  on  the  slightest  suspicion  of  providing  the  band  with 
food ;  and  very  properly  so  too,  for  without  the  aid  of  the 
peasantry  it  would  be  impossible  for  brigandage  to  exist. 
As  it  is,  the  peasants  can  not  resist  the  high  price  paid  for 
every  thing  by  the  brigands,  and  when  they  meet,  like  all 
the  Italians  of  this  class,  they  can  not  refrain  from  gossiping 
about  every  thing  that  goes  on  in  the  district,  particularly 
the  movements  of  the  troops,  and  the  constant  complimcntos 
paid  to  them  make  them  anxious  to  impart  every  thing  that 
is  of  importance  to  these  outlaws.  Suddenly,  about  the 
middle  of  the  day,  soldiers  were  seen  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain  opposite  to  us,  through  the  telescopes  which  were 
in  constant  use.  This  created  great  excitement,  and  we 
were  made  to  lie  flat  on  the  ground,  and  not  allowed  to 
move,  while  one  or  two  of  the  men  ascended  the  highest 
trees  near,  and,  with  the  glasses,  reported  every  movement. 
The  soldiers,  about  fifty  in  number,  lay  down  on  the  ground 
and  rested  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  disappeared  over  the 
top  of  the  mountain ;  we  saw  nothing  more  of  them ;  but 
the  bancl  was  uneasy  all  day,  some  one  constantly  ascend- 
ing the  trees  in  order  to  keep  a  good  look-out.  They  as- 
tonished me  with  the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  they 
climbed,  taking  hold  of  a  branch  and  swinging  themselves 
up  in  an  instant.  As  soon  as  it  was  considered  safe  we 
went  farther  up  the  mountain,  to  my  great  annoyance ;  for, 
instead  of  the  places  that  we  had  kept  dry,  we  had  to  lie 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  147 

down  just  where  we  were  told,  for  we  were  never  allowed 
to  use  our  own  discretion,  but  were  frequently  made  to  set- 
tle down  in  a  nest  of  nettles,  thorns,  or  thistles.  When  we 
got  here  a  little  bread  was  produced,  but  so  little  that  it 
only  served  to  make  us  more  hungry  than  before.  "With 
the  bread  came  the  news  that  Victor  Emmanuel  was  going 
to  pay  my  ransom  himself.  This  was  bad  news  for  me,  for, 
as  long  as  there  was  a  chance  of  its  being  true,  they  would 
keep  asking  the  50,000  ducats. 

I  amused  myself  this  afternoon  in  learning  all  I  could 
about  brigandage  in  the  province  of  Salerno  by  asking  all 
at  various  times.  I  concluded  that  there  were  in  all  about 
seventy  brigands,  under  four  captains,  and  this  turned  out 
to  be  very  near  the  mark — Giardullo  and  his  band  consist- 
ing of  about  thirty,  and  the  two  bands  with  which  I  was 
connected  being  in  number  forty-two.  Of  these,  seven  were 
runaway  soldiers,  viz.,  Manzo,  Ferdinando,  Guange,  Amen- 
dolo,*  Carini,  and  two  others ;  Giuseppe,  from  what  I  could 
hear,  came  from  Naples.  Cicco  had  once  some  little  amount 
of  money,  on  which  he  lived  before  being  a  brigand ;  An- 
drea, the  executioner,  had,  by  his  own  account,  been  a  mas- 
ter shoemaker ;  the  others  all  had  been  agricultural  laborers 
or  shepherds  excepting  my  friend  Lorenzo  Guerino,  who  had 
been  a  sawyer  and  carpenter.  Nearly  all  had  committed 
homicide.  Manzo,  however,  and  Guange,  by  the  account  of 
all,  were  free  from  this  crime  ;  the  former  on  one  occasion 
shot  a  follower  for  refusing  to  obey  his  orders,  and  they  all 
said  he  would  do  it  again  in  a  moment,  if  necessary ;  but, 
from  my  experience,  a  stick  laid  over  their  shoulders  was 
the  punishment  when  they  would  not  be  silent  when  told. 
Guange  had  not  disliked  his  life  as  soldier,  and  said  that  the 
allowance  of  food  was  good,  but  he  had  been  absent  one 
*  In  the  Appendix  will  be  found  an  account  of  this  worthy. 


148         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

day  without  leave,  and,  fearing  the  consequences,  took  to 
the  woods. 

Three  or  four  of  the  band  had  joined  only  a  few  days  be- 
fore ray  capture ;  these  had  their  carte  di  soggiorno  with 
them,  and  often  looked  at  them  and  showed  them  to  me. 
They  were  still  dressed  in  their  peasant  dresses,  and  it  was 
long  ere  they  were  able  to  obtain  their  brigand  clothing; 
but,  before  I  left  them,  they  all  had  gradually  picked  up  the 
proper  uniform.  This  they  obtained  from  the  peasants 
when  getting  food,  and  paid  for  out  of  their  own  share  of 
my  ransom. 

Malone  Zara,  a  native  of  Acerno,  who  was  one  of  these 
recruits,  was  only  eighteen  years  old,  and  used  to  take  the 
milk  round  to  the  houses  in  the  town ;  but  one  day  a  friend 
tried  to  cheat  him  out  of  five  ducats,  equal  to  sixteen  shil- 
lings and  eightpence :  this  so  enraged  him  that  a  fatal  blow 
from  his  knife  compelled  him  to  become  a  brigand.  He 
was  not  in  giro,  as  they  call  it,  when  I  was  taken,  and  thus 
he  had  no  share  in  the  money,  for  those  only  who  are  pres- 
ent at  the  capture  divide  the  spoil.  All  share  equally,  the 
captain  having  no  more  than  the  others,  and  a  certain 
amount  being  kept  back  for  general  expenses. 

At  about  five  o'clock  the  tinkling  of  bells  below  told 
us  that  a  flock  of  sheep  was  passing  from  one  pasture  to 
another.  Pepino,  who  was  very  impatient  under  a  lack  of 
food,  jumped  up,  and,  with  Generoso  and  Andrea,  started 
off  to  see  what  they  could  procure.  In  about  an  hour  they 
returned  leading  a  fine  fat  sheep  and  a  goat,  which  were 
soon  killed,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  there  was  nothing  left 
but  the  head  and  bones.  Excepting  the  paunch,  every  mor- 
sel was  eaten.  When  we  had  got  meat,  there  was  a  diffi- 
culty in  cooking  it,  on  account  of  our  position. 

With  the  troops  in  the  neighborhood  a  fire  was  most 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  May  28.  149 

dangerous,  and  many  of  the  men  declared  it  was  madness 
to  think  of  lighting  it.  But  we  had  had  too  little  the  last 
three  days  to  think  of  foregoing  our  promised  repast,  so 
two  of  the  old  hands  cut  out  an  oblong  hole  in  a  sloping 
place,  and  then  another  at  right  angles  at  the  end  of  it ;  the 
fire  was  made  with  the  greatest  caution  in  this,  and  the  pot 
put  over  it ;  two  capotes  were  placed  in  front,  so  as  to  con- 
ceal any  gleam  of  light ;  every  piece  of  wood  was  dried  be- 
fore it  was  put  on,  and  the  fire  very  slowly  fed,  and  by  these 
means  all  smoke  was  avoided ;  they  certainly  did  make  the 
most  smokeless  fires  I  ever  saw.  When  the  internal  bonne- 
bouche  was  pronounced  ready,  we  were  invited  to  dip  with 
them  into  the  pot.  I  took  out  my  pocket-fork  and  avoided 
scalding  my  fingers ;  theirs  were  like  horn,  and  no  heat  ever 
seemed  to  hurt  them.  This  fork  was  much  admired ;  and 
when  I  was  told  that  I  had  eaten  my  share,  which  was  al- 
ways on  these  occasions  about  a  quarter  of  what  each  of 
them  ate,  one  of  them  took  it  from  me  and  used  it  himself, 
but  returned  it  when  the  course  was  finished.  The  meat 
was  all  divided  into  shares,  and,  to  Visconti's  horror,  he  had 
to  eat  it  without  bread.  For  drink  we  had  to  eat  snow,  all 
the  water  being  drunk  by  our  captors,  who  refused  to  give 
us  any. 

To-night  the  place  where  I  was  told  to  sleep  was  the  next 
but  one  to  poor  Concetta,  whose  arm  was  getting  worse  ev- 
ery hour,  and  now  began  to  emit  a  most  nauseous  odor. 
The  wind,  unfortunately,  blew  toward  me,  and,  as  I  was 
only  about  four  feet  from  her,  my  feelings  can  more  easily 
be  imagined  than  described.  The  flesh  round  the  wound 
had  turned  quite  yellow,  and  each  time  it  was  dressed  a 
quantity  of  thick  matter  was  removed ;  this,  with  the  dirty 
lint,  was  merely  thrown  a  yard  or  two  off,  and  there  being 
a  plague  of  flies  which  immediately  covered  any  animal  mat- 


150         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

ter,  this  made  me  most  nervous,  lest  they  should  bite  me, 
and  thus  communicate  the  poison  to  my  system.  How 
they  worried  me,  perpetually  settling  on  me !  All  the  care 
in  the  world  would  not  keep  them  off;  they  always  disap- 
peared as  it  grew  dark,  but  then  the  musquitoes  came  out, 
and  their  demoniacal  drumming  nearly  drove  me  distract- 
ed ;  but  I  soon  found  out  that  our  simple  food  prevented 
that  inflammation  and  pain  that  their  bites  occasion  in  civ- 
ilized life.  Two  or  three  hours  after  dark,  Ferdinando, 
with  three  others,  returned  with  one  live  sheep  and  one 
that  they  had  already  killed  and  skinned. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  1.  151 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Diary  of  Mk.  Moexs,  Jtnra  1  to  7. 

"Wood-carving. — The  wounded  Girl. — A  tantalizing  View. — Victims. — 
The  Captives  not  introduced. — A  Thunderbolt. — Eain,  Kain. — Three 
under  a  Cloak. — 111  Treatment  from  Cerino's  Band. — Their  abject 
fear  of  Death. — A  Blow  from  Cerino. — Consolation. — New  Arrivals. — 
Screwing  up. — A  Scrimmage  with  Generoso. — The  greedy  Cerino. — 
An  Installment  of  my  Ransom  arrives. — The  Proposal  to  the  Brigands 
to  leave  the  Country  in  an  English  Ship. — The  Lesson  of  the  "  Aunis." 
— What  became  of  the  10,000  francs. — Gambling. — Visconti  is  ap- 
pointed my  Agent. — Pleasant  Position  of  his  Family. — I  am  the  only 
Captive. — Quarrels. — The  Argumentum  Baculinum. — I  am  invited  to 
Gamble. 

June  1.  We  spent  "  the  glorious  1st  of  June"  in  the  same 
place.  How  long  the  day  seemed,  with  nothing  to  do  but 
to  brood  over  my  griefs !  For  want  of  any  thing  better  to 
do,  I  began  whittling  the  stem  of  a  wild  jasmine  with  my 
penknife,  and  amused  myself  in  cutting  out  a  little  cross, 
which  I  meant  to  send  to  my  wife  at  the  first  opportunity. 
Much  interest  was  taken  by  the  brigands  in  seeing  me  cut 
what  all  Roman  Catholics,  however  humble  or  degraded  in 
position,  revere  so  much ;  £  molto  talento  was  the  constant 
remark  when  they  saw  me  at  work  with  the  minute  blade, 
the  temper  of  which  astonished  them  so  much.  We  had  no 
bread  either  to-day  or  the  next  day,  but  they  gorged  them- 
selves with  meat.  I  preserved  as  much  as  I  could  save  in 
my  pocket,  not  knowing  when  we  should  get  more ;  two  or 
three  sausages  had  been  kept  back  from  the  last  division  for 


152          English  Travelers  mid  Italian  Brigands. 

Concetta,  whose  arm  was  getting  worse  and  worse.  Poor 
girl !  she  did  not  utter  a  sound  of  complaint,  but  merely 
clenched  her  teeth  together  and  hissed  through  them  when 
they  were  dressing  her  wound  and  cutting  off  the  dead 
flesh  with  a  pair  of  scissors.  I  translated  a  few  verses  of 
the  Psalms  to  her,  and  entreated  her  to  think  over  her  past 
life  and  ask  forgiveness. 

She  seemed  to  attend  with  great  earnestness  to  what  I 
said,  and  when  I  had  finished  she  entreated  me  to  pray  for 
her,  and  was  not  satisfied  till  I  had  promised  to  do  so.  I 
told  her  that,  unless  she  could  get  medical  aid,  it  was  im- 
possible to  hope  for  any  improvement,  and  that  she  must 
prepare  for  the  worst. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  I  was  delighted  at  seeing  all  the 
band  rise  up  from  the  ground  and  sling  their  guns  on  their 
shoulders.  This  was  the  certain  sign  of  a  move.  "We  were 
soon  told  to  get  up.  I  tied  up  my  capote  with  a  little  piece 
of  string  and  a  cotton  handkerchief  that  Manzo  had  given 
me,  and  with  these  managed  to  sling  it  on  my  back ;  it  was 
rather  heavy,  and  I  had  found  great  difficulty  in  carrying  it 
on  my  left  arm,  for  I  wanted  both  hands  —  one  to  carry  my 
invaluable  stick,  and  with  the  other  I  grasped  the  low 
branches  of  the  trees  in  ascending  and  descending  the  steep 
places. 

My  heart  quite  bled  when  I  saw  the  poor  dying  Concet- 
ta walking  along  in  the  rear,  supported  between  two  men. 
We  were  between  two  or  three  hours  in  reaching  the  top, 
passing  many  frightful  ravines  —  some  of  them,  which  we 
had  to  cross,  full  of  snow  ;  this  was  not  like  the  freshly-fall- 
en snow,  but,  being  constantly  penetrated  by  the  moisture 
from  the  thawed  surface,  had  crystallized  into  grains  about 
the  size  of  hempseed,  and  these  were  all  frozen  together,  so 
that  some  trouble  and  force  were  necessary  in  cutting  out  a 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,June  1  to  7.  153 

lump  to  eat.  At  one  of  these  places  we  stopped  to  rest  for 
some  time,  while  Concetta,  and  those  with  her,  were  toiling 
up  the  steep  ascent  to  join  us.  When  they  came  up  the 
poor  girl  could  hardly  stand,  and  threw  herself  down  on  the 
ground,  and  asked  me  if  I  had  any  bread,  for  I  always  kept, 
if  possible,  a  tiny  piece,  and  invariably  ate  a  little  mouthful 
after  our  nauseous  meat  diet.  I  had  a  piece  the  size  of  a 
walnut  in  my  pocket,  which  I  could  not  refuse  her ;  and  it 
was  quite  a  pleasure  to  see  the  expression  on  her  face  as  I 
handed  it  to  her,  and  I  felt  well  rewarded  for  my  self- 
denial. 

The  usual  precautions  were  taken  at  the  top,  and  on  all 
being  pronounced  safe,  we  rested  again  for  the  stragglers 
to  come  up.  Here  there  was  another  false  alarm ;  they  all 
ran,  but  I  never  moved,  hoping  that,  if  the  soldiers  appeared, 
I  should  have  a  chance  of  escape.  I  took  out  my  little  book 
and  began  to  read,  to  the  great  disgust  of  several  of  them, 
who  disliked  nothing  more  than  seeing  me  perfectly  indif- 
ferent when  they  all  were  showing  fear. 

From  this  elevated  point  I  again  saw  the  mountains  with 
their  jagged  peaks  close  to  Salerno,  the  point  stretching 
out  to  Amalfi,  and  the  blue  Mediterranean.  How  I  longed 
to  be  on  it,  in  one  of  those  tiny  fishing-boats,  with  lateen 
sails,  that  were  speeding  their  way  to  Salerno ! 

As  we  walked  along  the  top  I  was  constantly  asked  Che 
vedetef  for  the  idea  that  I  was  enjoying  the  magnificent 
view  was  the  last  thing  that  entered  their  heads.  We  soon 
came  up  to  a  place  where  a  dreadfully  steep  bank  between 
two  high  precipices  led  far  away  down  the  mountain,  reach- 
ing very  nearly  to  the  bottom.  The  greatest  care  had  to 
be  taken,  for  if  I  had  once  slipped  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  have  stopped  rolling  down  some  thousands  of 
feet.    There  was  a  rank  vegetation  which  concealed  the 

G  2 


154  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

loose  stones,  winch  were  in  great  abundance,  and  this  made 
our  descent  very  difficult.  Often  these  would  be  set  in  mo- 
tion, to  the  great  danger  of  those  below,  who  had  to  jump 
quickly  out  of  the  way  to  avoid  them.  I  think  this,  more 
than  any  thing  else,  raised  the  ire  and  curses  of  the  band, 
for  a  stone,  once  set  rolling,  generally  with  a  great  noise 
keeps  rolling  down  to  the  bottom,  giving  notice  to  any  one 
below  that  somebody  is  above,  which  might  be  the  means 
of  giving  the  troops  warning  of  the  proximity  of  the  band. 
As  we  descended  we  saw  several  fires,  which  marked  the 
spot  where  the  shepherds  were  stationed  for  the  night,  and 
where  they  make  the  cheese  and  racotta  from  the  milk 
yielded  by  the  flocks  of  sheep  grazing  on  these  southern 
slopes  of  the  mountains. 

We  no  sooner  began  to  descend  than  we  left  behind  us 
the  dense  forests  on  the  northern  side.  "When  we  came  to 
the  level  of  the  first  fire,  two  of  the  band  went  toward  it, 
and  soon  returned  with  one  of  the  shepherds,  who  carried  a 
barrel  of  water,  which  shepherds  always  have  with  them. 
This  was  a  great  luxury,  for  I  had  only  eaten  snow  for  the 
last  few  days.  I  got  up  and  stepped  forward  to  it,  but  was 
instantly  told  in  a  brutal  way  to  go  back  again ;  for  a  cap- 
tive is  never  allowed  to  see  or  speak  to  a  peasant.  They 
do  this  (as  I  said  before)  on  account  of  the  peasant,  who 
fears  being  recognized  and  denounced  afterward  when  the 
ransom  is  paid.  In  a  short  time  the  barrel  was  passed  to 
me.  I  took  it  by  each  end,  and  drank,  after  their  fashion, 
out  of  the  bung-hole  in  the  centre.  A  little  Indian-corn 
bread  was  also  divided  between  us,  and  Visconti  and  I  en- 
joyed the  remains  of  our  cold  goat,  which  we  had  tied  up 
together  in  my  pocket-handkerchief,  having  nothing  else  to 
carry  it  in. 

When  we  approached  to  the  next  fire  the  same  precau- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  7.  155 

tionary  measures  were  repeated ;  but  as  it  was  in  our  route, 
we  waited  till  the  usual  signal  (a  lighted  brand  waved  in 
the  air)  was  made  by  those  who  had  been  sent  on  in  ad- 
vance. The  shepherds  always  tried  to  put  out  their  fiVes 
on  the  approach  of  the  brigands.  I  suppose  this  was  for 
their  own  protection,  lest  any  one  should  see  that  visitors 
were  with  them.  More  bread  was  obtained,  and  a  little 
new  cheese.  The  next  fire  was  treated  in  the  same  way, 
but  we  were  never  allowed  to  join  the  circle  collected  round 
for  the  usual  ten  minutes'  gossip,  to  hear  the  news.  Imme- 
diately after  leaving  the  last  fire  we  crossed  a  stream  and 
proceeded  along  a  good  path  on  the  other  side.  Visconti 
was  disappointed  in  not  seeing  his  shepherd,  who  he  thought 
was  in  this  neighborhood.  After  about  an  hour  we  left  this 
path  and  made  our  way  through  the  brushwood.  We  soon 
came  to  a  range  of  cliffs,  on  the  face  of  which  were  many 
caverns.  At  last  we  came  to  one  with  a  dry  stony  bottom, 
about  fifteen  feet  high.  We  were  told  to  lie  down,  and 
with  guards  on  each  side  of  us  we  were  allowed  to  sleep. 
We  were  roused  by  the  kicks  of  our  guardians,  and  awoke 
with  severe  pain  in  all  our  limbs  from  sleeping  in  the  bitter 
cold.  There  was  not  sufficient  cover  in  front  of  the  cave  to 
make  it  safe  during  the  daytime. 

June  2.  It  had  rained  in  the  night,  and  we  had,  therefore, 
the  satisfaction  of  getting  wet  in  proceeding  to  a  place  under 
the  rocks,  with  plenty  of  brushwood  before  it,  where  we 
were  to  stop  all  day.  We  had  to  ask  several  times  before 
we  got  a  portion  of  the  bread  procured  from  the  shepherds. 
Pepino  and  his  consort  Doniella  kept  nearly  all  for  them- 
selves, and  would  hardly  give  us  any.  The  rest  of  the  band 
had  plenty  in  their  pockets,  which  they  had  secured  when 
at  the  fii*es  of  the  shepherds.  This  evening  we  went  to  a 
large  roomy  cavern  that  had  evidently  been  made  use  of  by 


156  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  flocks  of  sheep,  for  the  ground  was  covered  with  abund- 
ant signs  of  their  recent  presence.  Visconti  and  I  picked 
out  the  cleanest  and  driest  place  we  could  find  in  one  corner, 
but  we  were  made  to  get  up  and  lie  down  in  a  very  dirty 
and  wet  place,  with  water  dripping  on  us  from  above.  An- 
drea, the  executioner,  and  two  women  guarded  us,  while  the 
others  went  off  foraging.  I  sat  up  for  a  minute,  but  our 
wary  guard  made  me  lie  down  again,  fearing  a  sudden  rush 
On  him.  On  these  occasions  our  guards  always  stood  up  at 
a  little  distance,  and  never  took  their  eyes  off  us.  In  the 
night  the  band  came  back  with  some  water,  but  nothing 
else.  We  were  in  the  same  part  for  the  next  three  days, 
moving  our  sleeping-place  each  night. 

One  night  we  were  asked  if  we  liked  milk,  and  were  told 
that  we  were  to  have  some.  It  took  us  half  an  hour  to  walk 
to  the  appointed  place,  where  we  found  a  great  wooden 
milk-pail,  about  two  feet  high,  half  full.  Some  was  poured 
out  into  a  smaller  pail,  and  some  bread  sopped  in  it.  We 
were  then  told  to  fall  to.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had 
used  my  wooden  spoon,  that  I  had  spent  so  many  hours  in 
cutting  from  the  root  of  the  beech-tree  ;  it  served  capitally 
for  eating  the  bread,  but  it  could  not  compete  with  the 
enormous  deep  spoons  used  in  these  districts  for  skimming 
the  racotta  off  the  remains  of  the  milk.  One  was  lent  to 
me,  but  I  preferred  taking  up  the  great  pail  and  having  a 
good  draught  out  of  it.  I  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  tell- 
ing them  that  milk  was  veiy  good  for  an  Englishman,  and  I 
always  found  that  they  gave  me  more  than  my  share  of  it 
whenever  we  were  so  lucky  as  to  obtain  any.  Some  racotta 
was  also  broken  up  in  some  milk,  and  this  made  it  taste  just 
like  cream.  The  pails  were  left  to  be  fetched  away  by  the 
shepherds.  Well  do  I  remember  the  spot,  for  the  rising 
ground  on  three  sides  brought  to  my  mind  some  of  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  7.  157 

theatres  cut  out  of  the  hill-sides  in  Greece.  The  bottom 
was  level,  and  then  the  ground  sloped  away  to  the  river  far 
below.  Our  halting-place  was  covered  with  a  low  broom 
in  full  blossom.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly  on  all  the 
surrounding  mountains ;  not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring, 
and  the  only  sound  to  be  heard  wras  that  of  the  distant  tor- 
rent below. 

June  6.  The  night  was  passed  in  the  caves  as  before,  and 
before  daybreak  we  went  back  toward  the  place  where  we 
had  found  the  milk,  and  spent  the  day  on  the  hill-side.  We 
were  forbidden  to  speak  or  move  the  whole  day.  The 
bright  sky  of  last  night  had  left  us,  and  all  above  us  was 
covered  with  the  blackest  clouds,  when  suddenly,  about 
midday,  the  storm  broke  in  a  thunderbolt,  which  passed 
whizzingly  close  over  our  heads,  apparently  only  a  few  feet 
from  us,  and  went  right  down  and  seemed  to  strike  the 
ground  near  the  stream  below  us.  I  never  in  my  life  heard 
any  thing  to  equal  the  awful  crackling  and  roaring  sound  of 
its  passage.  We  were  all  amazed,  and  one  of  the  brigands 
said  "  it  seeks  the  water."  They  all  crossed  themselves,  and 
several  hurried  off  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the  grottoes.  I 
wished  to  do  the  same,  but  was  not  allowed  to  move.  I  had 
no  sooner  put  on  my  capote  than  a  perfect  shower  of  water 
fell  on  us.  I  took  Visconti  under  the  cloak  with  me ;  when 
Lorenzo,  who  had  always  treated  me  well,  came  close  up  and 
made  me  give  him  part  too.  I  was  in  the  centre ;  we  put 
our  covering  over  our  heads,  drew  up  our  knees  to  our  noses, 
and  there  we  sat  five  mortal  hours  growling  at  every  thing ! 
Poor  Visconti  was  in  the  most  fearful  state  of  despair,  al- 
though two  men,  who  had  joined  us  in  the  morning,  had 
brought  the  joyful  news  to  him  that  the  10,000  ducats  that 
remained  to  complete  his  ransom  had  been  paid.  How  I 
envied  him  !     He  did  not  seem  to  feel  sure  of  his  liberty,  and 


158         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

told  me  that  he  should  not  feel  safe  till  he  arrived  in  his 
own  house.    How  miserable  I  felt — no  letters,  no  money ! 

Three  weeks  had  now  elapsed  since  my  capture,  and  dur- 
ing the  last  week  especially  I  had  been  badly  treated.  Pe- 
pino's  band,  who  were  to  have  no  share  in  my  expected 
ransom,  looked  on  me  as  a  nuisance,  and  grudged  every 
morsel  of  food  they  gave  me.  Except  during  the  two  days 
when  we  had  meat,  I  do  not  think  I  had,  in  all,  more  than 
enough  for  one  day's  consumption.  They  always  made  a 
point  of  speaking  to  me  in  a  most  brutal  manner,  without  an 
atom  of  kindness,  and  they  constantly  threatened  my  life 
with  their  guns,  revolvers,  and  knives.  One  great  game 
was  thrusting  their  knives  quickly  between  my  body  and 
arms.  I  never  allowed  myself  to  show  the  slightest  fear, 
and  always  told  them  that  it  was  nothing  to  die  —  it  was 
soon  over,  and  that  the  next  world  was  far  better. 

They  all  have  the  most  abject  fear  of  death,  and  I  always 
tried  to  impress  them  with  the  idea  that  Englishmen  never 
fear  to  die ;  and  that,  if  they  wished  it,  they  were  perfectly 
welcome  to  take  my  life,  as  it  would  save  me  and  my  friends 
so  much  trouble.  I  felt  sure  that  in  a  short  time  they  would 
discontinue  trying  to  frighten  me  when  they  found  out  that 
I  only  laughed  at  their  attempts,  and  ridiculed  them  for 
their  fear  of  death. 

But  I  am  forgetting  the  storm  of  rain.  The  cloak,  though 
a  good  cover  for  two  during  an  ordinary  shower,  was  not 
of  much  use  for  three  with  the  flood  that  was  pouring  down. 
The  water  collected  when  the  cloak  was  stretched  between 
our  heads,  and  then  dripped,  or  rather  ran,  through  in 
streams,  each  one  pulling  it  more  over  himself,  and  accord- 
ingly drenching  his  neighbor.  When  I  attempted  a  change, 
I  always  said  "_Z? rnelior  cosi"  but  the  reply  came  "J? nie- 
lior per  voi, *ma  peggior per  me"     I,  being  in  the  centre, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  7.  159 

came  off  best,  but  the  best  was  bad  enough.  The  water  also 
collected  in  pools  under  us,  and  at  last  ran  in  a  perfect  stream. 
At  five  o'clock  we  were  soaked  through,  and  so  cramped 
from  our  position  that  we  could  not  move.  I  looked  for- 
ward to  a  fearful  night,  and  was  as  miserable  as  I  could 
possibly  be,  and  very  hungry,  for  we  had  had  nothing  to  eat 
or  drink  all  day. 

When  the  word  came  to  us  to  get  ready  to  start  off  to 
join  the  rest  of  the  band,  I  asked  how  many  hours'  walking, 
and  eight  fingers  held  up  told  me  what  I  had  to  expect. 
Before  we  started  I  asked  Pepino  whether  any  money  or 
letters  had  come  for  me.  I  was  standing  on  the  edge  of  a 
mound,  and  was  unprepared  for  the  blow  which  I  received 
for  an  answer.  I  lost  my  balance  and  fell  down,  hurting  my- 
self badly  on  the  inside  of  my  leg  from  striking  it  against  a 
large  stone.  What  a  rage  I  felt  in !  I  could  have  knocked 
him  over  on  the  spot  with  pleasure,  but  was  obliged  to  choke 
it  down  as  best  I  could.  I  asked  him  what  harm  I  had  done, 
and  was  told  to  be  quiet  and  not  to  speak  a  word.  They 
were  very  savage  that  no  money  had  come  for  me  at  the 
same  time  that  it  had  come  for  the  Viscoptis ;  and  Andi'ea 
reproached  me  with  having  caused  the  death  of  four  of  the 
band  who  had  died  for  love  of  me!  Justi  came  up  to  me 
and  said  "JRovero  Cristiano"  and  told  me  that  Pepino  was 
a  brute,  and  that  I  was  not  to  care  for  what  he  said  or  did. 

We  now  began  to  descend  toward  the  river,  passing  along 
and  over  the  terraces  of  earth  in  which  the  Italians  always 
cultivate  the  mountain  sides ;  the  ground  was  sopping  from 
the  heavy  rain,  and  therefore  very  slippery.  I  more  than 
once  fell,  on  one  occasion  making  a  bad  wound  on  my  shin, 
the  scar  of  which  I  still  retain.  It  was  very  difficult  to  pass 
the  torrent,  which  was  three  times  the  size  it  was  when  we 
had  crossed  a  few  days  before. 


1 60  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

They  told  me  to  drink  if  I  required  it,  for  we  should  not 
pass  more  water.  I  used  the  leather  cup  which  Mr.  Aynsley 
had  given  me  in  parting,  and  which  I  always  lent  to  Visconti. 
The  favorite  way  with  the  brigands  was  to  lie  down  at  full 
length  and  lap  up  the  water  like  dogs.  Some  of  them  would 
pick  the  leaves  of  a  plant  that  always  seemed  to  grow  near 
water,  and,  doubling  them  up  in  their  left  hands,  formed  ex- 
tempore drinking-cups.  We  soon  found  the  mule-track  or 
scorza  as  they  call  it,  and,  turning  toward  the  north,  -walked 
along  in  Indian  file  at  the  rate  of  about  three  and  a  half 
miles  an  hour.  After  half  an  hour  we  were  halted  while 
some  of  the  band  went  to  get  some  milk,  and  we  waited  for 
an  hour  before  they  returned  empty-handed.  During  this 
hour  I  got  permission  to  walked  up  and  down  a  little,  for  it 
was  bitterly  cold,  and  I  was  wet  through  and  afraid  to  sit 
down.  While  doing  this  I  heard  some  signals  in  a  low  voice 
from  the  mountain  opposite,  and  reported  them.  They  were 
at  once  answered,  and  down  came  six  or  eight  men,  who  had 
been  sent  by  Manzo  to  look  for  us.  They  were  all  wet 
through  and  half  starved,  not  having  been  able  to  get  any 
bread.  They  were  desperate  when  they  found  that  we  had 
none  to  give  them,  and  all  drew  their  belts  and  bands  round 
their  waists  an  inch  tighter.  They  said  that  they  had  taken 
us  for  bersaglien  from  my  walking  up  and  down  like  a  sentry. 
Soon  it  began  to  rain  so  hard  that  even  these  ruffians 
grumbled,  and,  turning  up  a  little  path  to  the  left,  went  to  a 
large  dry  cave.  I  fortunately  found  a  place  that  must  have 
served  as  a  bed  to  some  one ;  it  was  made  of  the  dry  leaves 
that  wrap  round  the  spikes  of  Indian  corn,  and  it  was  so  soft, 
after  the  hard  ground  I  had  been  used  to,  that  I  had  no  soon- 
er lain  down  than  I  dropped  off  into  a  sound  sleep,  though 
my  clothes  were  wet  through.  It  seemed  hardly  a  minute 
before  I  was  kicked  up  and  told  to  take  my  place  in  the  line. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  1.  161 

It  had  left  off  raining,  but  it  was  very  dark,  and  we  had  to 
feel  our  way  up  the  mountain  side.  With  the  intervals  of 
two  or  three  short  rests,  we  kept  on  walking  for  four  or  five 
hours  up  the  pass,  till  at  last,  the  great  caution  which  was 
used,  and  the  freshness  of  the  wind,  told  me  that  we  were 
close  to  the  top.  After  waiting  a  short  time,  while  scouts 
were  sent  out,  they  began  to  break  out  swearing  at  the  rest 
of  the  band  not  being  where  they  expected  to  find  them, 
and,  being  very  tired,  they  were  more  brutal  than  usual. 
We  were  always  made  to  lie  down  immediately  a  halt  was 
called,  for  fear  we  might  give  them  the  slip. 

The  wolf  cry  was  now  made,  but  there  was  no  response. 
Again  and  again  was  the  cry  of  wow-wow,  wow-wow,  utter- 
ed in  their  peculiar  way,  but  it  was  useless;  when  one  pro- 
posed that  they  should  go  farther  on  to  the  left,  where  the 
mountain  rose  higher,  and,  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  more 
walking,  the  signal-calls  were  again  made,  and  this  time  with 
more  success ;  for  in  the  distance  a  faint  answer  was  heard, 
and  we  went  on  toward  the  place  where  the  bark  came 
from.  The  ascent  was  exceedingly  steep,  and  Generoso, 
who  was  behind  me,  kept  hitting  and  poking  me  with  the 
barrel  of  his  gun  because  I  did  not  ascend  as  quickly  as  he 
wished,  though  I  was  close  behind  the  man  before  me.  At 
last  I  turned  round  in  a  pretended  rage,  and  with  my  stick 
in  both  hands  raised  it  over  his  head.  He  shrank  back  and 
brought  his  gun  up  to  his  shoulder  with  an  oath.  Two  or 
three  ran  up.  I  caught  hold  of  him,  but  at  the  same  time  they 
abused  me,  and  seemed  taken  quite  aback  at  the  idea  of  a 
ricattato  threatening  one  of  themselves.  I  told  them  that  I 
walked  as  well  as  they  did,  and  I  would  not  be  bullied,  so  it 
was  no  use  attempting  it — that  they  might  kill  me  if  they 
wished,  and  the  sooner  the  better. 

I  found  this  answer  capitally,  and  I  was  never  touched 


162  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

again  while  on  the  march,  and  it  was  from  this  moment 
that  they  began  to  respect  me  a  little  for  my  apparent  dis- 
regard of  death ;  and  when  we  arrived  at  the  camp-fire  it 
was  immediately  narrated  how  I  had  threatened  to  kill  a 
companion — this  being  the  term  they  always  use  when 
speaking  of  one  another.  How  joyful  I  felt  when  I  saw 
the  cheerful  gleam  of  the  enormous  wood  fire!  Manzo  and 
the  rest  of  the  band  were  round  it,  making  in  all  forty- 
three  in  number.  When  we  entered  the  circle  they  all 
seemed  very  glad  to  see  me,  for  they  had  had  no  news  of 
me  since  the  Sunday  when  the  soldiers  were  disappointed  in 
surrounding  us,  and  they  had  feared  that  some  harm  might 
have  befallen  our  division  of  the  band.  They  gave  me  a 
large  piece  of  bread  and  a  lump  of  wet  raw  bacon,  and  I 
went  to  the  fire,  and,  pushing  in  through  those  round  it, 
began  to  toast  the  bacon. 

Pepino,  who,  being  very  tired,  had  lagged  behind,  now 
came  up,  but  too  late  for  any  of  the  bread,  which  had  all 
been  given  away.  He  saw  me  with  my  nice  large  piece, 
and  suddenly  snatched  it  out  of  my  hands.  I  immediately 
complained  to  Manzo,  and  told  him  that  his  lieutenant  was 
no  better  than  a  petty  thief  to  rob  me  of  a  piece  of  bread, 
and  I  began  to  rave  against  all  of  them ;  for  we  had  had 
no  food  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  after  our  long  walk  I 
was  very  hungry,  and  had  only  just  congratulated  myself 
on  the  piece  of  bread  that  had  been  given  me — very  differ- 
ent in  size  to  any  thing  I  had  been  used  to  under  the  charge 
of  Pepino  Cerino ;  but,  to  my  joy,  one  of  the  band  took 
compassion  on  me  and  gave  me  his  own  piece,  which  I  ac- 
cepted with  thanks.  In  a  short  time  all  but  the  sentinels 
threw  themselves  down  on  the  wet  ground  and  were  fast 
asleep ;  but  I  kept  near  the  glowing  embers  of  the  fire,  and 
dried  myself  as  much  as  I  could,  and  sat  up  on  a  little  piece 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  Jane  I  to  7.  163 

of  stone,  for  I  was  still  damp,  and  my  capote  was  wringing 
wet,  and  there  was  a  bitterly  cold  wind  blowing,  and  I 
thought  it  was  better  to  forego  a  little  sleep  than  catch  a 
cold,  which  means  a  fever  in  these  woods.* 

June  7.  In  two  hours  I  saw  the  eastern  sky  light  up ; 
and  gradually  it  grew  quite  light;  we  were  now  removed 
two  or  three  hundred  yards  off  to  a  small  open  part,  sur- 
rounded by  very  large  beech-trees.  There  was  a  large  rock 
covered  on  one  side  with  moss,  standing  up  in  the  centre, 
and  I  sat  down  under  this  to  be  out  of  the  wind,  and  bask- 
ed in  the  sun,  which  was  now  rising  higher  and  higher. 

Presently  Yisconti  came  to  me  and  told  me  that  a  guide 
had  come  with  letters  and  money  for  me :  one  from  Mr. 
Aynsley  and  one  from  the  consul,  but  none  from  my  dear 
wife.  How  anxious  I  was  for  her !  In  neither  letter  was 
there  a  line  about  her  health,  and  her  name  was  only  once 
mentioned.  No  message  to  me  and  nothing  to  console  me ; 
the  letter  from  Mr.  Aynsley  was  in  English,  but  merely  de- 
tails of  what  had  been  done.  The  letter  from  the  consul 
was  in  Italian,  and  meant  for  the  band  to  read ;  and  its 
tone  gave  them  confidence  in  him,  and  they  always  express- 
ed a  high  opinion  of  their  trust  in  his  word  and  actions. 

They  asked  me  if  my  companion,  whom  they  had  let  go, 
was  to  be  trusted,  and  if  he  would  be  faithful  to  me.  I 
told  them  that  he  was  an  Englishman,  and  all  Englishmen 
could  trust  in  each  other  ;  and  that  I  felt  sure  that  he  was 
doing  and  would  do  all  possible  for  me,  for  I  was  hostage 
for  him,  and  suffering  for  him  as  well  as  for  myself.  Man- 
zo  now  came  up  and  told  me  that  500  marengi  had  arrived 
for  me,  and  he  wanted  to  know  what  my  friends  meant  by 
sending  such  a  sum,  and  said  that,  if  they  did  not  send  a 

*  I  afterward  found  that  the  mountain  on  which  we  now  were  was 
called  Serra  Del  Castagno. 


164  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

large  sum  at  once,  he  would  send  them  my  head.  He  was 
in  a  great  rage,  and  I  told  him  he  had  better  do  so  at  once, 
as  it  would  save  trouble,  for  it  was  impossible  for  my  wife 
to  get  much  money  in  Italy,  as  we  were  foreigners.  He 
gave  me  a  letter  from  the  consul  to  him,  entreating  both 
him  aud  the  band  to  leave  the  country  in  an  English  ship 
of  war.  This,  however,  they  were  not  inclined  to  do,  for 
they  all  feared  that  they  would  be  thrown  into  the  sea  im- 
mediately they  were  on  board ;  and  they  mentioned  the 
case  of  the  four  brigands  (meaning  Papa,  d'Avanzo,  and  the 
brothers  La  Gala)  who,  as  they  said,  tried  to  leave  Italy  in 
a  French*  ship,  after  security  had  been  promised  them,  and 
had  then  been  betrayed.  They  also  said  that  the  soldiers 
would  shoot  them  on  their  way  to  the  sea.  It  appeared  that 
the  consul's  letter,  which  had  been  dictated  by  the  prefect 
of  Salerno,  and  which  informed  the  brigands  of  the  consent 
of  the  government  having  been  given  to  the  plan,  was  de- 
livered to  Manzo's  brother,  but  he,  although  bearing  a  pass 
from  General  Balegno,  and  carrying  letters  sealed  with  II. 
B.  M.'s  consular  seal,  was  arrested  by  a  subordinate  officer 
in  command  of  a  detachment,  and  nothing  was  heard  of 
him  for  nearly  a  week.  When  the  matter  came  to  Mr. 
Bonham's  ears,  he  immediately  procured  the  messenger's 
release,  and  another  letter  was  forwarded  to  the  band  con- 
taining the  same  proposal.  It  was  now,  however,  too  late, 
as  the  brigands  had  heard  how  the  soldiers  had  respected 
the  first  messenger. 

I  suggested  that  three  or  four  should  go  first  to  see  if  it 
were  safe,  but  I  was  not  able  to  do  any  thing  with  them. 

*  For  a  full  account  of  the  escape  of  these  villains  from  the  fate  they 
so  well  deserved,  see  Count  Maffei's  book,  and  also  Mr.  Hilton's,  vol.  ii. 
The  case  of  the  passengers  of  the  "  Annis"  is  notorious  all  over  Italy  as 
a  signal  failure  of  justice. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  7.  105 

The  man  who  had  brought  up  my  money  and  letters  now 
appeared,  and  Visconti  was  very  excited,  for  he  thought 
that  this  would  be  the  guide  to  take  him  home  to  Giffoni, 
as  the  news  of  all  his  money  having  been  paid  proved  to  be 
correct,  and  he  was  told  that  both  he  and  his  little  cousin 
Tomasino  were  to  be  set  at  liberty  during  the  day.  They 
were  in  the  highest  state  of  glee  at  the  hopes  of  seeing  their 
friends  again.  Don  Francesco  told  me  all  about  his  wife 
and  two  little  children.  He  had  not  had  a  line  from  her  all 
the  time  he  had  been  in  the  mountains,  but  had  only  heard 
of  her  through  his  father's  letters. 

How  wretched  all  this  made  me  feel !  I  thought  of  all 
those  dear  to  me,  and  wondered  when  I  should  see  them 
again,  the  horrible  fear  being  over  me  of  the  brigands  keep- 
ing me  while  they  tried  to  extort  a  large  sum  from  the 
Italian  government ;  for  they  all  told  me  that,  if  the  country 
paid  for  me,  they  would  require  a  far  larger  sum  than  50,000 
ducats. 

I  now  saw  the  captain  sit  down  and  spread  out  a  capote, 
and  on  this  he  counted  out  the  10,000  francs  sent  up  for 
me.  The  money  was  all  in  half  Napoleons,  and  was  sent  in 
this  form  because  my  friends  thought  that  it  would  go  far- 
ther than  if  sent  in  whole  Napoleons.  Fifteen  Napoleons 
were  then  handed  to  each  of  the  thirty  men  that  had  aided 
in  the  capture,  and  the  balance  of  fifty  Napoleons  were  kept 
back  by  Manzo  for  general  expenses. 

No  sooner  was  the  money  divided  than  little  groups  were 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  gambling,  a  similar  operation 
having  just  taken  place  with  the'10,000  ducats  (equal  to 
£1700)  paid  by  Visconti.  The  captain  very  soon  lost  his 
money,  and  two  or  three  hundred  Napoleons  more ;  so  he 
left  off  playing,  and  in  a  sulky  humor  came  up  to  me,  and 
made  me  write  a  number  of  letters.     Visconti  was  told  to 


166  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

help  me,  and  I  was  told  to  write  them  all  in  Italian,  and  not 
to  put  one  word  in  English.  I  wrote  one  to  the  consul, 
one  to  Mr.  Aynsley,  and  one  to  ray  wife,  entreating  her  to 
write  and  tell  me  how  she  was.  I  was  also  made  to  write 
one  to  the  prefect  of  Salerno,  requesting  him  to  withdraw 
the  forces,  and  not  to  take  any  steps  that  would  injure  the 
band,  for  that  any  injury  to  them  would  be  retaliated  on 
me,  and  that  it  was  the  prefect's  fault  I  was  taken,  for  he 
had  left  the  road  unguarded  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th 
of  May,  and  that  he  would  have  to  answer  for  it.  When 
the  letters  were  finished,  Manzo  read  them  carefully  over, 
and  made  me  add  the  postscripts,  one  of  which  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  10,000  francs  just  sent  were  not  enough  to 
keep  me  in  bread. 

The  man  who  had  brought  up  my  money  and  letters  (and 
who  was  not  one  of  Visconti's  servants)  had  also  brought 
a  quantity  of  jewellery  for  Pepino's  band,  consisting  of 
watches,  gold  chains,  and  rings ;  these  were  all  brought  for 
my  inspection,  and  I  was  asked  to  value  them,  which  I  did 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  brigands.  One  chain  I  told  them 
was  too  light,  and  was  not  good  gold :  this  was  given  back 
to  the  guide,  who  was  told  that,  if  he  tried  to  cheat  them, 
they  would  kill  him.  He  declared  that  it  was  good  gold, 
but  they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

Visconti  and  I  now  had  a  long  talk  together.  He  told 
me  that  he  would  do  all  he  could  for  me ;  that  Manzo  had 
ordered  him  to  receive  my  letters  and  send  them  to  and  fro, 
and  that  he  was  to  find  guides  in  order  to  transmit  my 
money  to  the  band ;  and  that,  if  his  father  did  not  do  so  in 
a  satisfactory  manner,  his  family  would  be  all  killed,  his 
house  burned  down,  all  the  olive  and  chestnut  trees  belong- 
ing to  the  family  destroyed,  and  the  sheep  and  cattle  slaugh- 
tered.* He  entreated  me  to  keep  up  my  spirits,  but  not  to 
*  See  Appendix  B. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  I  to  7.  167 

expect  to  get  away  without  paying  a  large  sum  of  money, 
for  they  had  good  information  that  I  was  very  rich,  and 
could  pay  the  amount  demanded  easily.  I  requested  him 
to  go  as  soon  as  he  could  to  Naples,  in  order  to  see  my 
wife,  and  tell  her  that  I  was  quite  well,  and  that  it  was  nec- 
essary to  send  money,  and  to  advise  my  friends  what  was 
best  to  be  done  under  the  circumstances.  I  also  gave  him 
the  little  cross  I  had  cut  to  take  to  her,  and  a  list  of  warm 
clothing  and  other  little  things  that  I  required.  He  would 
not  take  any  thing  written  in  English,  or  even  a  private 
note,  because  he  said  the  captain  would  kill  him  if  he  found 
it  out. 

All  at  once  he  gave  a  little  scream  of  joy  at  the  sight  of 
his  old  family  servant,  Fortunato  Tedesco,  who  had  come 
up  to  act  as  guide  to  take  him  to  Giffoni.  The  old  shepherd 
looked  delighted  to  see  his  masters,  kissed  them  both,  and 
took  off  his  hat  to  me.  He  brought  up  some  food  for  them, 
and  some  cherries,  but  this  was  all  taken  at  once  by  the 
band  and  divided  into  equal  shares.  How  I  enjoyed  the 
cherries !  I  had  had  no  vegetable  food  for  so  long  that  na- 
ture seemed  to  rejoice  at  such  a  change  of  diet. 

Three  or  four  men  now  appeai'ed,  each  with  a  sack  of 
bread  on  his  shoulders,  and  a  quantity  of  cheese.  This  was 
hailed  with  joy,  and  a  present  of  half  a  Napoleon  given  to 
each  man.  It  was  about  five  o'clock  when  Visconti  was 
told  to  get  ready  to  go.  He  kissed  me  in  the  Italian  fash- 
ion, and  then  kissed  the  band  all  round ;  two  of  them  gave 
Tomasino  little  rings  as  keepsakes,  for  he  was  a  great  favor- 
ite with  all  of  them,  and  Manzo  gave  them  a  Napoleon  be- 
tween them;  and  taking  Don  Francesco  on  one  side,  cau- 
tioned him  about  revealing  any  thing  concerning  the  band ; 
for,  if  he  did  so,  they  would  come  and  kill  him.  Tomasino 
was  told  to  say  that  the  band  was  only  twelve  in  number, 


168  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

and  not  to  talk  about  them  much.  Fortunato  gave  Visconti 
his  shepherd's  crook  as  a  walking-stick,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes they  were  out  of  sight. 

I  then  gave  myself  up  to  grief;  I  felt  so  desolate  and 
miserable  at  the  sight  of  their  going  away  free,  and  leaving 
me  behind  alone,  that  I  could  not  control  myself;  I  threw 
myself  on  the  ground  in  despair.  Justi  and  Lorenzo  came 
up  to  me  and  tried  to  console  me,  telling  me  to  cheer  up, 
for  when  my  money  was  paid  I  should  be  free  too.  I 
thought  it  better  to  put  a  good  face  on  it,  and  so  got  up  and 
walked  about  two  hundred  yards  to  where  the  sentinels 
were  placed.  I  found  we  were  on  a  platform  about  ten 
yards  wide  and  two  hundred  yards  long.  On  three  sides 
the  ground  sloped  down  steeply,  so  that  they  could  run 
down  hill  on  three  sides,  while  the  soldiers  would  have  to 
ascend  the  other  side ;  they  could  run  into  the  dense  for- 
est, and  soon  would  have  been  lost  to  sight.  This  was  the 
favorite  form  of  lair  with  the  brigands,  and  they  gener- 
ally halted  when  they  found  a  spot  like  this.  From  the  end 
where  the  sentinels  were,  there  was  a  splendid  view  right 
over  the  plain  of  Salerno. 

It  was  beautifully  clear,  and  I  could  see  far  out  to  sea.  I 
was  only  allowed  to  be  here  two  or  three  minutes,  and  I 
was  told  to  go  back  to  where  I  had  been  all  the  morning. 
I  tried  to  persuade  them  to  let  me  remain,  but  with  no  avail. 
As  I  went  back,  I  passed  where  all  the  women  were  sitting : 
they  were  hard  at  work  hemming  silk  and  cotton  pocket- 
handkerchiefs  ;  they  had  different  colored  silks  to  hem,  with 
scissors,  thimbles,  and  all  that  was  requisite.  I  noticed  that 
their  needles  were  much  shorter  than  those  of  English  make. 
The  gambling  was  still  going  on,  and  many  were  the  furious 
quarrels  that  this  gave  rise  to ;  the  captain  had  to  interfere 
constantly,  and  would  often  have  to  belabor  two  or  three 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  dune  1  to  7.  169 

with  a  stick  before  he  could  reduce  them  to  silence.  They 
wanted  me  to  play  with  them,  but  I  was  not  sure  whether 
they  would  pay  their  losses  ;  so  I  tried  them  first  with  con- 
fetti, letting  two  or  three  be  seen,  and  then  clenching  my 
fist.  They  guessed  four,  but  I  had  over  fifty  in  my  hand. 
They  laughed  when  I  asked  them  to  pay,  so  I  took  the  hint, 
and  declined  all  gambling  with  them.* 

A  loaf  of  bread  was  now  given  to  each,  and  preparations 
made  for  departure.  I  learnt  that  Manzo  and  about  twen- 
ty-five men  were  going  down  into  the  plain  to  take  a  "  com- 
panion for  me,"  as  they  expressed  it,  of  whose  approach 
they  had  had  notice. 

*  At  this  time  they  had  formed  the  habit  of  calling  mo  Don  Guglielmo, 
and  by  this  name  they  continued  to  address  me  until  I  left  them. 

H 


170         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAHTER  IX. 

MRS.  MOENS'S   LETTERS,  MAY    17   TO   JTJXE    18. 

Return  to  Naples. — Hotel  de  Geneve. — The  Coppersmiths. — Telegrams  to 
England. — Letters  to  the  Brigand. — Milords  or  Photographers. — First 
Letter  from  the  Hostage. — A  noble  Reply  to  a  Telegram. — The  second 
Letter. — Imprisonment  of  the  Brigand's  Relatives. — Arrival  of  H.  51.  S. 
"Magicienne." — Omniscience  of  the  Italian  Government. — Sunday  in 
Naples. — Our  Message  stopped. — The  Brigandess's  News. — Another 
Letter  from  the  Hostage. — A  second  Installment  prepared. — Letter  to 
the  Times. — A  Visit  from  a  supposed  Manutengulo. — I  hear  of  a  Friend 
coming  from  England. — His  Arrival. 

Hotel  de  Geneve,  Naples,  May  19.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Ayns- 
ley  rejoined  us,  he  advised  our  immediate  return  to  Naples, 
as  he  had,  as  I  understood  (in  order  to  carry  out  the  idea  of 
the  captive  being  merely  a  poor  artist),  told  the  brigands 
that  he  should  go  thither  to  try  and  raise  a  ransom  among 
the  English  residents  in  that  city.  Our  boxes  were  packed, 
and  we  were  just  ready  to  start,  when  young  Mr.  Bonham, 
the  vice  consul,  and  Mr.  Edward  Holme,*  an  English  resi- 
dent at  Naples,  arrived  to  offer  us  assistance  and  advice. 

I  had  the  greatest  disinclination  to  leave  Salerno,  as  I  felt 
that  there,  at  all  events,  I  was  nearer  to  my  husband,  but  I 
considered  it  my  duty  to  follow  Mr.  Aynsley's  advice,  as  my 
husband  had,  on  parting  with  him,  placed  me  under  his  care. 
On  arriving  at  the  station,  Mrs.  Aynsley  and  I  got  into  a 

*  I  can  not  thank  this  gentleman  and  his  family  too  much  for  their 
kindness  to  my  wife. — W.  J.  C.  M. 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18.        171 
first-class  carriage,  and  our  kind  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S 


joined  us ;  but  Mr.  Aynsley  thought  that,  as  we  should 
probably  be  followed  by  spies  of  the  brigands,  and  our  mi- 
nutest actions  commented  on,  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  go 
into  a  second-class  carriage,  in  order  that  we  might  not  ap- 
pear wives  of  "  Milords."  He  thought  that  if  they  could  by 
any  means  be  persuaded  that  we  were  poor,  they  would 
lower  their  exorbitant  demands.  The  train  was  on  the 
point  of  starting,  when  the  guard  came  up  and  told  us  that 
a  telegram  had  just  been  received  to  the  effect  that  my  hus- 
band was  free,  and  that  the  guard  at  Eboli  had  seen  him. 
We  made  farther  inquiries,  but  the  additional  details  thrown 
in  made  us  doubt  the  news,  so  we  decided  not  to  change 
our  plans,  and  went  on  direct  to  Naples. 

Oh,  how  wretched  I  felt  when  I  first  found  myself  alone 
at  the  Hotel  de  Geneve,  in  the  noisiest  part  of  noisy  Naples ! 
We  had  been  advised  to  go  to  that  hotel  when  we  came 
over  from  Sicily,  as  it  was  built  on  high  ground,  and  was 
considered  far  healthier  than  the  hotels  along  the  Chiaja, 
where  there  had  been  recently  many  cases  of  fever.  It  is  a 
lai'ge  building  in  the  centre  of  the  Strada  Medina,  one  of 
the  great  thoroughfares  of  Naples,  and  free  from  all  the 
bad  smells  which  make  some  parts  of  the  town  quite  unen- 
durable ;  but  the  noise  is  distracting.  Nearly  all  the  shops 
around  it  belong  to  coppersmiths,  whose  incessant  hammer- 
ing is  added  to  the  ceaseless  roll  of  carriages  and  cracking 
of  whips.  Often  I  can  scarcely  hear  myself  speak ;  my  only 
quiet  hour  is  at  twelve  o'clock,  when  the  inhabitants  take 
their  siesta.  I  find  myself  constantly  repeating  a  text  which 
a  friend  quoted  to  me :  "  Alexander,  the  coppersmith,  did 
me  much  harm." 

But  my  great  misery  makes  me  forget  all  these  minor 
worries,  which  I  must  endure  patiently,  for  to  take  larger 


1 72  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

or  more  fashionable  apartments  would  be  inconsistent  with 
the  character  which  Mr.  Aynsley  still  thinks  we  may  be 
able  to  keep  up.  I  was  very  ill  when  we  arrived,  and  went 
directly  to  my  room.  Telegrams  were  immediately  dis- 
patched in  my  name,  but  without  my  knowledge,  to  Lord 
Palmerston,  to  members  of  my  family,  and  to  personal 
friends  of  my  husband's  in  London. 

This  is  a  copy  of  one  or  two  of  the  telegrams : 

"  My  husband,  Mr.  Moens,  captured  by  brigands  near 
Paestum ;  £8500  demanded  for  ransom,  or  life  threatened. 
—May  18th." 

"  Don't  be  alarmed  about  me ;  am  with  friends.  Hus- 
band taken  by  brigands  near  Paestum :  8500  pounds  ransom 
asked  ;  life  threatened.  Can  collect  no  money  here.  Urge 
English  government.  Italian  police  and  authorities  might 
obtain  husband's  release  if  properly  pressed.  Military  use- 
less. 

The  soldiers  will  never  effect  the  release  of  my  husband. 
You  can  not  imagine  the  difficulties  of  the  country ;  6000 
troops  are  out,  but  the  brigands  laugh  at  them.  To  give 
you  an  idea  of  the  audacity  of  the  band,  they  positively 
came  down  from  the  mountains  close  to  Paestum  yesterday, 
and  took  away  all  the  clothes  of  the  ferrymen  of  the  River 
Sele.  Mr.  Aynsley  has  sent  a  letter  to  the  brigands,  offer- 
ing a  small  ransom,  and  telling  them  that  that  is  all  the  mon- 
ey he  can  raise.  The  brigands  are  not  yet  certain  whether 
their  captives  are  rich  "  milords  "  or  photographers.  The 
Italian  papers  say  two  poor  artists  have  been  mistaken  by 
the  brigands  for  rich  English  lords. 

May  20.  It  is  now  five  days  since  I  saw  my  husband. 
I  can  not  realize  my  situation :  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  some 
horrible  dream,  or  rather  in  the  Inferno.  I  am  sure  they 
may  well  say  of  us,  when  we  return  to  England,  what  the 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18.  173 

Florentines  said  of  Dante  :  "  That's  the  man  who  has  been 
with  the  brigands,  and  that's  the  wife  who  has  been  in  the 
Inferno !"  My  mind  is  harassed  with  perpetual  false  re- 
ports ;  but  we  can  hear  nothing  certain  of  poor  "W 's  act- 
ual position.  Mr.  Aynsley  has  sent  a  letter  for  the  brigands 
by  post  to  a  landed  proprietor  living  at  Battipaglia,  whose 
brother  was  captured  the  same  day  as  my  husband  by  an- 
other band  of  brigands.*  I  believe  the  brigands  arranged 
with  Mr.  Aynsley  that  all  letters  should  be  sent  to  this  house, 
and  that  they  would  send  messengers  there  for  them. 

In  his  letter  Mr.  Aynsley  writes  as  a  poor  man  who  has 
got  up  a  small  subscription  among  the  English  at  Naples. 
He  thinks  the  brigands  will  believe  this  letter,  as  when  he 
Avas  with  them  they  certainly  had  begun  to  doubt  whether 
they  had  got  the  rich  prize  they  expected.  Fortunately, 
Avhen  captured,  Mr.  Aynsley  had  on  a  very  old  coat  of  yel- 
low silk,  which  he  was  wearing  for  the  sake  of  coolness; 

and  W 's  fingers  were  all  stained  with  the  chemicals  he 

had  been  using  when  photographing.  One  of  the  brigands 
asked  Mr.  Aynsley  whether  his  coat  had  been  torn  in  the 
night,  and  was  told  that  it  had  been  reduced  to  that  state 
from  constant  wear. 

I  have  but  one  consolation,  that  we  have  not  brought  this 
misfortune  on  ourselves  by  any  want  of  caution.  "We  made 
every  possible  inquiry  as  to  the  safety  of  the  road,  and  all 
informed  us  that  it  was  quite  safe,  and  well  guarded  by 
soldiers;  in  fact,  numerous  parties  had  visited  the  ruins 
every  day  during  the  past  week  and  throughout  the  season. 
I  hear  a  rumor  that  our  party  was  mistaken  for  Lord  Pem- 

*  After  waiting  nearly  a  week  in  the  greatest  anxiety,  we  discovered 
that  the  person  to  whose  house  the  letter  was  directed  refused  to  take  it 
in ;  his  brother  having  escaped,  he  declined  holding  any  communication 
with  the  brigands. 


174  English  Travelers  mid  Italian  Brigands. 

broke's ;  it  is  even  said  that  the  brigands  had  received  a 
telegram  from  Rome  to  be  on  the  watch  for  him,  as  he  was 
expected  at  Psestum  the  very  day  that  my  husband  was 
taken.*  I  feel  that  this  would  never  have  occurred  if  the 
prefect  had  been  doing  his  duty.  Italians  are  constantly 
being  carried  off  to  the  mountains  by  the  brigands,  and  the 
government  leaves  them  quietly  to  their  fate.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  if  a  different  plan  were  pursued,  and  the  ransom 
levied  on  the  province  where  the  outrage  took  place,  brig- 
andage would  soon  be  at  an  end. 

May  21.  I  was  just  retiring  last  night  at  eleven  o'clock 
when  the  consul's  servant  arrived  with  a  letter  to  me  from 
ray  husband — the  letter  I  had  been  so  anxiously  expecting, 
but  which,  when  it  came,  made  me  feel  that  all  indeed  was 
real,  and  that  I  was  cruelly  separated  from  him,  with  a  ter- 
rible uncertainty  as  to  when  we  should  meet  again.  A 
paragraph  is  going  the  round  of  the  papers  that  I  am  out 
of  my  mind  with  grief  and  anxiety.  I  think  I  should  be 
were  it  not  for  my  sure  belief  in  God's  promise  to  help  the 
weak.  I  keep  repeating  to  myself  that  it  is  "He  who 
looseth  the  prisoner  out  of  captivity."  The  letter  was  dated 
the  19th  of  May,  and  ran  as  follows  : 

"I  am  pretty  well,  only  tired  by  night  marches  over  a 
frightful  country,  and  nearly  starved,  because  the  force  fol- 
lows the  band.  Don't  be  alarmed,  dearest,  but  trust,  as  I 
do,  in  God,  that  I  shall  be  restored  safe  to  you.  Telegraph 
to  England  for  money,  and  make  as  good  a  bargain  as  you 
can.  Pray  for  me,  as  I  do  for  your  peace  of  mind.  I  am 
still  pretty  well.  Pray  send  all  the  money  you  can  get. 
The  new  address — '  Care  of  Signor  Elia  Visconti,  Commune 
di  Giffoni,  Valle  Piano,  near  Salerno.'  Write  immediately. 
One  of  the  family  of  Visconti  is  my  unfoi'tunate  companion. 
*  We  heard  that  his  party  visited  Pajstura  on  the  1 3th. 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  11  to  June  18.        175 

They  are  jealous  of  what  I  write.  I  do  feel  for  you  so, 
dearest ;  but  trust  in  God.  Telegraph  for  money,  for  I  can 
not  stand  this  awful  life,  and  long  night  marches.  Do  not 
say  any  thing  to  any  one  except  Mr.  Aynsley.  They  think 
the  government  will  pay  for  me,  so  I  shall  not  get  off  cheap. 
Remember  me  to  Mr.  Aynsley,  and  tell  him  that  I  feel  thank- 
ful that  he  has  escaped  what  I  have  gone  through."* 

You  will  observe  that  he  says, "  Say  nothing  to  any  one 
but  Mr.  Aynsley."  But  this  caution  came  too  late,  the  tele- 
grams having  already  been  sent ;  and  the  whole  affair  be- 
came too  notorious  for  us  to  carry  out  the  private  method 
of  arrangement  which  the  Italians  take  care  to  adopt  when 
any  of  their  relatives  are  captured. 

A  member  of  the  banking  firm  of  Cummiug,  "Wood,  and 
Co.  has  just  been  to  tell  me  that  he  has  a  credit  for  me  for 
the  full  amount  of  the  ransom  demanded,  viz.,  £8500.     This 

is  the  doing  of  "W.  S ,  who  has  replied  to  Mr.  Aynsley's 

telegram  by  making  himself  responsible  for  the  whole  sum, 
advancing  it  at  once  at  his  own  sole  risk,  lest  delay  might 
prove  fatal  to  my  husband.  How  few  do  we  meet  who  are 
capable  of  such  noble  and  generous  actions  as  this !  I  have 
written  to  those  who  know  about  my  husband's  affairs,  in 
hopes  that  some  of  his  investments  may  be  realized,  and 
the  proceeds  handed  over  to  my  kind  and  generous  relative, 
to  relieve  him  at  once  from  our  half  of  the  burden. 

Hotel  de  Geneve,  May  30.  The  heat  is  now  intense.  I 
never  go  out  until  the  evening,  and  then  some  kind  friends 
come  and  take  me  for  a  walk.  We  pass  down  the  Toledo 
and  Chiaja  to  the  Villa  Reale.  The  streets  are  crowded 
with  people,  and  stiflingly  close  and  hot.  I  weep  as  I  walk, 
and  think  over  past  happiness.  "  Nessum  maggior  dolore 
di  ehe  ricordarsi  del  tempo  felice  neUa  miseria?  How  few 
*  These  first  letters  were  written  in  English. — W.  J.  C.  M. 


1 76         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

in  that  gay  scene  imagined  there  was  one  among  them  suf- 
fering as  I  was ! 

The  last  letter  I  received  from  my  husband  was  dated  the 
26th  of  May,  and  was  all  written  in  Italian  : 

"I  have  already  written  to  you  to  implore  you  to  send 
the  money  at  once.  The  captain  of  the  band  says  he  will 
have  50,000  ducats  immediately  (£8500).  He  says  that  if 
that  sum  is  not  sent  directly,  my  life  is  lost.  He  will  cut 
off  my  head,  and  send  it  to  you  without  pity.  I  am  pretty 
well  at  present ;  but  this  life  in  the  mountains  is  truly  in- 
supportable and  terrible,  particularly  now,  because  we  are 
followed  by  the  troops  in  great  numbers,  and  this  places  my 
life  in  great  danger.  I  am  dying  of  hunger  and  fatigue,  de- 
spair and  continual  anguish :  thinking  of  you  is  my  greatest 
grief.  The  captain  will  make  me  write  in  Italian,  in  which 
language  you  must  reply  to  me,  so  that  he  may  read  our 
letters.  Send  the  money  in  an  iron  box — as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, and  as  much  as  possible  at  once.  Write  to  England 
immediately  to  obtain  money:  write  to  me  directly, I  en- 
treat you.  The  place  where  the  money  and  letters  are  to  be 
sent  is  to  the  house  of  my  unfortunate  fellow-prisoner's  fa- 
ther. Address, '  To  the  Band,  care  of  Signor  Elia  Visconti, 
Giffoni,  Valle  Piano,  near  Salerno.'  The  letter  must  be  sent 
by  hand,  not  by  the  post. 

"  I  entreat  you  to  send  the  money  directly.  Try  all  the 
means  possible.  Go  to  all  my  country-people,  to  the  En- 
glish consul,  and  the  Italian  government,  if  possible,  and  also 
entreat  that  the  troops  be  withdrawn  at  once.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  live  in  these  horrible  forests,  amid  perpetual  rain. 
I  am  always  wet,  and  my  clothes  are  not  half  warm  enough. 

Write  to .     [Here  followed  the  names  of  three  of  his 

friends.]     Send  to  all  these.     Make  every  effort  to  get  mc 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  11  to  June  18.        177 

out  of  this  horrible  prison.  Have  faith  in  God,  as  I  have. 
I  do  not  know  where  to  direct  this  letter  to  you.  It  is  im- 
possible to  free  me  without  money.  Send  the  money  in 
gold.  Adieu,  my  dearest  wife.  Arrange  so  that  the  money 
is  sent  out  without  the  knowledge  of  the  authorities,  or  it 
will  be  very  hard  for  me.  The  captain  will  kill  me.  Send 
the  money  secretly,  and  let  me  know  the  sum  you  send. 
Once  more,  adieu,  my  dearest  Annie.  Up  to  this  time  I 
have  had  no  letter  from  you ;  this  makes  me  truly  unhappy. 
"  Your  unhappy  husband,  W.  J.  C.  M."* 

June  3.  My  husband's  letters  make  me  distracted  when 
I  think  of  them.  God  help  us  both  !  I  cry  day  and  night 
unto  Him. 

May  31.  Mr.  Aynsley  has  sent  a  letter  to  the  brigands  to 
say  £400  would  be  sent  to  them,  but  has  received  no  an- 
swer. Two  or  three  messengers  have  been  sent,  one  of 
them  brother  to  the  captain  of  the  band.  He  is  considered 
an  honest  character,  and  is  employed  on  the  railway.  He 
has  a  safe-conduct  and  pass  from  the  general,  which  had 
been  procured  with  great  difficulty ;  but  up  to  this  time  no 
messenger  has  returned.  Martial  law  has  been  established 
all  over  the  province,  and  the  families  of  the  brigands  have 
been  thrown  into  prison,  in  all,  nearly  800  persons. 

The  brigands  now  have  an  idea  that  my  husband  is  a 
relation  of  Lord  Palmerston,  on  account  of  the  telegram. 
They  are  about  twelve  miles  from  Salerno.  Unfortunately, 
there  is  a  report  all  over  Naples  that  the  consul  may  draw 
for  any  sum  of  money,  and  we  are  in  fear  now  the  brig- 
ands will  demand  even  more  than  £8000.  The  prefect, 
too,  has  just  been  removed  to  another  district,  which  is 
unfortunate  for  us,  for,  although  his  successor  has  an  excel- 
*  The  greater  part  of  this  was  dictated  by  the  captain. 
IT  2 


178         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

lent  reputation,  a  change  at  such  a  crisis  might  be  disas- 
trous to  us. 

The  Magicienne  steam  frigate  has  arrived  in  the  Bay  of 
Salerno.  It  seems  at  first  sight  rather  ridiculous  to  send  a 
man-of-war  to  Salerno  to  liberate  a  prisoner  in  the  mount- 
ains, but  from  something  Manzo  said  about  being  tired  of 
his  perilous  way  of  life,  Mr.  Aynsley  fancied  that  he  might 
be  induced  to  accept  a  small  sum  of  money,  and  then,  with 
his  prisoner,  take  refuge  on  board  the  English  ship,  to  be 
conveyed  in  safety  out  of  the  kingdom.  I  hear  that  years 
ago  a  young  lady  was  captured  by  a  band,  and,  after  every 
conceivable  plan  had  been  tried  in  vain,  a  similar  one  to  this 
was  adopted  for  her  liberation,  and  an  English  man-of-war 
brought  both  her  and  her  captors  away  in  safety.  So  Mr. 
Aynsley  mentioned  the  matter  to  the  consul  general,  who, 
after  communicating  with  the  civil  authorities  at  Florence 
and  receiving  their  assent,  obtained  the  permission  of  the 
English  government  to  request  the  English  admiral  at  Mal- 
ta to  send  up  a  ship. 

The  troops  are  scouring  the  country  and  acting  with  un- 
wonted energy,  so  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  communi- 
cate with  the  band,  and  the  laws  are  very  stringent  against 
paying  money  to  the  brigands,  the  punishment  for  so  doing 
being  twenty  years  at  the  galleys ;  besides,  the  money  found 
on  a  messenger  may  be  confiscated  by  the  soldiers.  You 
see,  therefore,  how  this  increases  our  difficulties.  Every 
road  to  the  mountains  is  guarded,  and  it  is  difficult  to  find 
any  one  who  will  run  the  risk  of  taking  the  money.  The 
most  insignificant  individual  is  well  known  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  no  one  can  go  from  one  province  to  another  with- 
out a  pass.  The  birthplace,  name,  and  parentage  of  every 
one  of  the  brigands  are  fully  known  to  the  government  offi- 
cials here. 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18.        179 

June  4.  A  great  feast-day — the  anniversary  of  Garibaldi's 
entrance  into  Naples.  All  the  people  are  out  in  the  streets 
in  gala  costume.  My  enemies,  the  tinmen,  are  quiet,  but  the 
church  bells  ring  every  ten  minutes,  and,  unfortunately,  the 
parish  church  is  close  to  the  hotel,  and  its  bells  are  very 
numerous  and  large,  and  particularly  loud.  I  was  so  glad 
when  it  was  time  for  our  English '  service,  and  I  drove 
through  the  crowded  streets,  swarming  with  men  and  sol- 
diers, to  the  English  church,  an  extremely  pretty  building, 
but  very  badly  ventilated.  In  the  middle  of  the  service  the 
heat  made  me  feel  so  faint  that  I  left  Mrs.  Aynsley,  and  went 
out  and  got  into  a  carriage.  On  my  way  to  the  hotel  my 
carriage  was  stopped  by  the  procession  of  soldiers.  I  had 
to  wait  in  the  burning  sun  while  regiment  after  regiment  of 
cavalry  and  infantry  passed  me.  General  Ttirr  was  in  a 
carriage  with  his  aids-de-camp.  I  did  not  enjoy  the  scene. 
The  music,  the  gay  dresses,  the  military  pomp,  only  made 
me  feel  sad.  I  thought  how  differently  I  should  have  felt 
had  my  husband  been  with  me.  The  sight  of  the  soldiers 
to  me  was  fearful.  I  always  felt  as  if  my  husband  was  in 
battle,  and  who  could  tell  how  it  might  terminate?  I 
reached  my  hotel  at  last,  and  shut  the  windows  to  keep  out 
all  sound.  How  desolate  and  wretched  I  was!  What 
gnawing  anxiety  at  my  heart!  How  I  longed  for  one  of 
my  sisters  to  be  with  me,  it  is  so  very  hard  to  bear  grief 
alone !  St.  Paul  knew  well  this  craving  of  the  human  heart 
when  he  said,  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens." 

(There  is  one  lesson  I  hope  I  have  learned  through  this 
heavy  trial,  and  that  is,  to  seek  out  the  wretched — not  to 
wait  for  the  wretched  to  seek  me — and  to  try  and  comfort 
them  by  cheerful  and  consoling  words — to  give  them  a  little 
of  my  time.  Many  want  that  more  than  money,  which  can 
never  make  up  for  want  of  sympathy.) 


180  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

In  the  evening  there  were  splendid  illuminations  in  honor 
of  Garibaldi. 

I  was  so  wretched  at  this  hotel  that  I  longed  to  go  else- 
where, but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aynsley  persuaded  me  to  try  the 
fourth  story,  as  they  still  thought  of  keeping  up  the  char- 
acter which  they  hoped  the  brigands  believed  to  belong  to 
Mr.  Aynsley  and  my  husband.  I  always  felt  convinced  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  deceive  the  brigands,  still  I  thought 
it  better  to  acquiesce ;  and,  in  accordance  with  their  sugges- 
tions, I  received  no  visits  from  my  countrywomen.  Those 
who  know  how  ready  English  people  are  to  sympathize  with 
their  compatriots  in  trouble  in  a  foreign  land  can  easily  imag- 
ine of  how  much  comfort  and  sympathy  I  was  thus  depriv- 
ing myself! 

I  accordingly  went  up  higher,  where  I  had  a  large  room, 
and  my  experience  of  Italian  hotels  teaches  me  always  to 
choose  either  the  third  or  fourth  stories,  where  one  avoids 
the  bad  smells,  and  the  air  is  fresher.  I  had  a  fine  view  of 
Vesuvius  from  my  room.  The  volcano  was  somewhat  act- 
ive during  the  whole  of  my  stay.  I  am  anxiously  expecting 
news  from  Salerno,  as  Manzo's  brother  has  not  yet  returned. 

June  6.  After  a  week  of  the  utmost  anxiety,  expecting 
every  hour  the  return  of  the  messenger  (Manzo's  brother), 
his  mother  has  come  to  us  in  great  distress,  to  tell  us  that 
he  is  in  prison,  heavily  ironed.  He  was  provided  with  a 
pass  signed  by  General  Balegno,  the  head  of  the  forces  in 
the  province  of  Salerno,  and  countersigned  by  our  consul 
general,  Mr.  Bonham ;  but,  notwithstanding,  he  was  stopped 
by  a  captain  of  Carbineers,  who,  on  his  own  responsibility, 
arrested  him,  and  without  informing  us  of  what  had  hap- 
pened, has  kept  him  prisoner,  until  he  had  farther  instruc- 
tions from  his  commanding  officer ;  of  course  Mr.  Bonham 
will  soon  procure  his  release,  but  this  delay  is  terrible:  what 
must  it  be  to  my  poor  husband  ! 


3Irs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18.        181 

The  consul  is  acting  with  great  care :  both  he  and  all  his 
advisers  are  afraid  that  if  they  were  to  give  the  whole 
amount  at  once,  the  brigands  would  not  be  satisfied,  but  re- 
quire just  as  much  again  :  this  is  the  idea  and  fear  of  every 
one. 

A  brigandess  has  given  herself  up  to  the  authorities.  She 
was  shot  in  the  arm  through  some  carelessness  on  the  part 
of  one  of  the  band.  For  seven  days  she  remained  with  the 
brigands.  Though  the  arm  was  fractured,  the  brigands 
would  not  let  her  leave  them.  At  last  she  was  so  ill,  she 
got  away  and  came  to  Salerno,  and  presented  herself  to  the 
authorities;  her  arm  was  then  amputated.  She  had  so 
much  nerve  that  she  refused  chloroform,  and  neither  groan- 
ed nor  complained.  The  only  sign  she  gave  of  suffering 
was  clenching  her  teeth.  When  the  surgeons  left  her  she 
said,  "Remember,  I  had  eighteen  Napoleons  about  me 
when  I  came  here;  I  must  have  them  again  when  I  am 
well !"  She  says  my  husband  is  well,  and  a  favorite  with 
the  band,  because  he  walks  well,  and  gives  no  trouble, 
and  amuses  himself  with  sketching.  This  news  is  better 
than  nothing,  but  still  I  can  not  help  feeling  intensely  anx- 
ious for  him,  as  the  troops  are  still  in  pursuit.  In  his  letter 
to  me,  he  wrote  that  the  captain  of  the  band  says  he  will 
never  give  him  up  to  the  troops  alive.  The  brigands  have 
refused  to  go  on  board  the  frigate;  they  send  word  the 
English  climate  would  not  agree  with  their  health ;  it  is 
too  cold. 

The  last  report  in  Naples  is  that  my  husband  and  the 
brigands  have  joined  together  to  get  as  much  money  as 
they  possibly  can,  and  that  he  intends  to  join  the  band. 

June  8.  The  first  installment  of  money  has  at  last  been 
successfully  conveyed  to  the  mountains;  and  to-day  I  re- 
ceived the  following  letter  written  (in  Italian)  on  the  6th 
of  Juno : 


182         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

"  Write  to  me,  I  pray  yon.  I  think  of  you  continually. 
I  am  indeed  unhappy ;  the  horrors  of  the  life  I  am  leading 
are  indescribable.  I  am  exposed  to  all  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather;  I  am  dying  of  hunger,  cold,  wet,  and  anguish. 
I  believe  that  you  would  do  every  thing  to  see  me  again. 
Borrow  money  directly,  and  send  it  immediately  to  the 
mountains  to  ransom  me.  The  captain  has  received  the 
10,000  francs  that  you  sent  me,  and  he  sends  you  word  that 
to  free  me,  50,000  ducats  are  required.  This  sum,  there- 
fore, must  be  collected  if  you  wish  to  see  me  again.  I  en- 
treat you  to  borrow  of ,  or  of ,  the  remainder 

to  make  up  the  50,000  ducats,  and  send  the  money  to  Vis- 
conti's  house.  Do  not  hope  to  liberate  me  for  a  less  sum. 
Here  I  am  in  constant  peril.  I  can  not  possibly  remain 
much  longer  in  good  health.  I  send  you,  by  Signor  Yisconti, 
a  little  gift,  cut  by  my  own  hand :  prize  it,  and  think  often 
of  me.  Send  the  things  that  I  have  written  for,  and  send 
immediately.  Adieu,  dearest ;  pray  write  to  me,  and  believe 
in  my  sufferings  and  in  my  affection.  Have  faith  in  God. 
"  Your  affectionate  husband,  W.  J.  C.  M. 

"  The  band  treats  me  very  badly :  I  can  not  endure  it. 

"  P.S. — I  pray  you  to  get  the  troops  withdrawn,  if  you 
love  me.  The  captain  says  that  I  may  be  liberated  by  the 
troops,  but  I  shall  not  be  alive.  He  also  says  that  the 
money,  10,000  francs,  is  not  enough  to  buy  bread  for  me." 

This  letter  was  sent  to  Signor  Visconti,  at  Giffoni,  and 
by  him  forwarded  to  me  through  the  consul  general. 

Immediately  on  receipt  of  it  we  took  measures  for  for- 
warding a  farther  sum  to  the  brigands ;  and  we  have  de- 
termined on  limiting  the  next  installment  to  17,000  francs, 
in  the  hope  that  the  robbers  will  let  my  husband  go  on  re- 
ceipt of  that  sum,  without  demanding  more. 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  May  17  to  June  18.        183 

Signor  Visconti,  whose  son  was  for  three  weeks  my  hus- 
band's companion  in  captivity,  has  paid  me  a  visit  of  con- 
dolence, accompanied  by  his  son.  The  interview  was  a  try- 
ing one  for  me. 

June  13.  I  sent  my  letter  to  the  Times,  although  I  have 
not  seen  Mr.  Aynsley's  letter,  because  every  one  keeps  writ- 
ing to  me  from  England  that  life  with  the  brigands  can  not 
be  so  very  unpleasant  after  all,  and  this,  too,  at  the  time 
when  I  am  receiving  such  dreadful  letters  from  my  husband. 
I  was  determined  that  the  real  state  of  the  case  should  be 
known,  and  yet  I  was  frightened  at  my  own  boldness  in 
"  writing  to  the  Times"  and  actually  carried  the  letter  to 
and  fro  between  the  hotel  and  the  post-office  several  times 
before  I  could  summon  up  courage  to  post  it. 

I  am  still  in  fearful  suspense  and  anxiety.  We  are  now 
negotiating  through  Signor  Visconti,  who  is  a  rich  landed 
proprietor  at  Giffoni,  fourteen  miles  from  Salerno.  He  has 
been  forced  by  the  brigands  themselves  to  receive  our 
money  and  letters.  His  son  and  nephew  have  been  with 
the  brigands  two  months,  and  he  has  had  to  pay  £4150 
ransom  for  the  two. 

A  gentleman  who  is  believed  to  be  connected  with  the 
brigands*  came  yesterday  to  see  me,  on  purpose  to  find  out 
if  we  were  veiy  rich  people.  I  was  warned  of  his  coming, 
and  prepared  accordingly.  I  had  many  lectures  given  me 
to  appear  bold  and  indifferent,  so  that  the  brigands  might 
not  extort  much  through  my  fears.  I  fortunately  wore  my 
hat,  which  concealed  the  tears  which  constantly  came  into 
my  eyes.  He  told  us  he  had  heard  there  was  an  enor- 
mous sum  waiting  to  be  used  as  ransom,  and  that  the  brig- 
ands believed  my  husband  to  be  a  nobleman,  and  that  the 
government  would  pay.    So  you  see  the  difficulties  we  have 

*  I  need  scarcely  say  that  wc  do  not  now  believe  in  this  connection. 


184          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  contend  with,  not  to  mention  the  distance  the  brigands 
are  off.  It  takes  such  a  very  long  time  to  do  any  thing.  It 
is  indeed  trying ;  I  feel  it  sometimes  unbearable. 

If  the  troops  do  not  prevent  us,  the  consul  general  sends 
to-morrow  some  more  money,  some  flannels,  a  water-proof 
coat,  and  a  Bible.  My  husbaud  has  written  to  me  for  these 
things.  He  seems  to  suffer  so  from  cold  —  very  different 
from  us  at  Naples,  who  are  melting  with  the  heat.  He  sent 
me  a  little  wooden  cross,  which  he  had  amused  himself  in 
carving.  His  letters  are  all  in  Italian,  as  before.  The  life 
must  be  terrible  for  him.  I  only  hope  and  pray  some  one  is 
coming  to  me  from  England,  for  I  am  in  a  very  lonely  posi- 
tion. 

June  17.  There  was  a  very  fearful  storm  last  night.  It 
began  in  the  evening,  and  lasted  until  one  or  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  I  could  not  rest,  thinking  of  my  husband  be- 
ing exposed  to  its  violence,  with  no  shelter. 

At  this  time  H.  C ,  one  of  my  brothers-in-law,  was  on 

his  way  to  Naples  to  see  what  he  could  do  for  us.  I  after- 
ward heard  that  he  went  to  Florence  en  route,  and  was  very 
kindly  received  there  by  the  British  envoy,  who  introduced 
him  to  some  of  the  ministers,  and  procured  from  them  for 
him  letters  of  introduction  and  recommendation  to  the  prin- 
pal  local  authorities  (civil  and  military)  at  Salerno.  These 
letters  were  of  the  greatest  possible  use  in  furthering  the  re- 
quests which  he  afterward  preferred  to  these  important  of- 
ficials personally  on  the  spot,  accompanied  by  the  consul 
general  or  Mr.  Richard  Holme. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  a  gentleman  who  had  traveled  with 
H.  C from  Genoa  to  Leghorn  called  on  me  at  his  re- 
quest, to  let  me  know  that  my  friend  was  close  at  hand.  It 
was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  hear  that  I  should  so  soon 
have  the  assistance  of  one  whom  I  knew  well. 


Mrs.  Moens's  Letters,  3Iay  17  to  June  18.         185 

On  the  18th  of  June  my  friend  appeared  at  the  Hotel 
de  Geneve  at  breakfast.  I  was  so  delighted  to  see  him. 
Only  those  who  have  been  so  long  in  trouble  among  stran- 
gers, and  separated  from  their  own  kith  and  kin,  can  under- 
stand the  pleasure  with  which  I  now  found  that  I  had  an 
old  friend  at  my  side.  We  talked  of  my  ofd  home,  and  of 
the  kind  hearts  that  felt  for  me  there.  Really  sometimes  it 
seemed  almost  worth  while  to  be  placed  in  my  present  un- 
happy position  just  to  learn  what  truly  good,  and  kind,  and 
loving  hearts  there  are  in  the  world.  And  in  the  fresh 
wonder  and  excitement  of  hearing  what  my  friends  at  home 
had  done  and  said  about  me,  I  for  a  moment  forgot  my 
great  sorrow.  But  time  was  precious,  and  my  newly-ar- 
rived friend  lost  not  a  moment  in  seeking  out  the  consul 
general,  and  deliberating  with  him  and  Mr.  Aynsley  on 
what  was  to  be  done  for  my  husband. 


186  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Diaey  or  Mr.  Moexs,  Juste  7  to  28. 

Thieving  .Propensities  of  Cerino. — Generoso's  Conduct  worthy  of  his 
Name. — I  am  again  left  with  five  Guardians. — The  Magicienne. — A 
Three  Days'  Rest. — New  and  very  unpleasant  Companions. — Small 
Amount  of  Washing  done  in  the  Mountains. — A  long  Rest. — Bread 
Diet. — Its  Effect. — A  Peasant  Visitor. — Wood-carving. — A  Message 
with  Letters.  —  A  second  Installment  and  warm  Clothing. — I  write 
again. — My  new  Treasures. — The  Luxury  of  a  Comb. 

During  the  afternoon  the  rain  came  on  again,  and  I  took 
shelter  under  the  large  rock.  "While  there,  Pepino  came  up 
and  asked  me  for  the  capuce  that  had  been  given  me.  He 
said  it  was  his,  and  he  wanted  it.  I  told  him  that  I  could 
not  possibly  do  without  it ;  the  weather  was  much  too  wet 
and  cold,  and  that  a  wide-awake  was  no  protection  at  night, 
and  that  it  was  of  no  use  asking  me  for  it,  for  I  did  not  mean 
to  give  it  to  him.  I  always  wore  it  tied  round  my  neck  by 
the  string,  with  the  hood  hanging  on  my  back ;  so  I  looked 
to  see  if  it  was  secure,  so  that  they  could  not  snatch  it  oft* 
for  I  knew  that  Manzo  would  not  let  it  be  taken  away  if  I 
stoutly  resisted.  But  Pepino  was  too  clever  for  me,  and  by 
artifice  got  the  better  of  me.  He  went  away,  and  sent  one 
of  his  band  to  tell  me  that  he  did  not  care  whether  he  had 
the  capuce  or  my  wide-awake.  I  thought  it  better  to  make 
a  compromise,  and  said  I  would  rather  be  without  the  wide- 
awake, and  gave  it  to  him,  and  I  then  had  to  put  the  capxtce 
on  my  head.  I  was  then  called  by  two  or  three  who  were  a 
little  way  off,  and  when  advancing  toward  them  the  crafty 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  7  to  28.  187 

ruffian,  who  was  lying  in  wait  behind  a  corner  of  the  rock, 
made  a  snatch  at  the  coveted  capuce,  and  pulled  it  off  my 
head,  throwing  me  back  the  wide-awake.*  He  immediately 
started  off  with  his  men,  as  it  had  been  arranged  the  two 
bands  were  to  separate. 

I  was  in  a  great  rage,  and  complained  bitterly  to  the  col- 
lected band  of  the  conduct  of  Pepino,  telling  them  I  was 
sure  to  catch  cold  the  first  night  I  slept  without  a  covering 
to  my  head,  and  that  then  I  should  have  an  attack  of  some 
dangerous  fever,  which  might  carry  me  off  and  spoil  their 
chance  of  farther  ransom.  I  thought  that  there  was  no 
chance  of  my  getting  another  capuce,  for  they  were  very 
scarce,  only  two  having  them,  and  one  of  these  was  sewed 
on  to  the  jacket ;  but  I  kept  on  grumbling  at  their  treat- 
ment of  the  poor  prisoner,  whom  they  had  taken  away  from 
his  friends  in  order  to  rob,  like  petty  thieves  and  pick- 
pockets, not  being  contented  with  the  prospect  of  a  large 
ransom. 

They  seemed  rather  ashamed  of  this ;  and  in  a  short  time, 
to  my  astonishment,  Generoso,  the  man  wrhom  I  had  threat- 
ened to  knock  down  last  night  for  bullying  me  while  walk- 
ing, took  off  his  hood  and  gave  it  to  me.  This  was  the  only 
one  they  had,  and  of  course  I  did  not  in  the  least  expect  to 
get  it,  though  I  had  tried  for  it.  It  was  not  quite  so  new 
as  Pepino's,  but  was  equally  large  and  very  warm.  I  was 
amazed  at  Generoso  forgetting  the  occurrence  of  the  pre- 

*  He  had  before  this  enraged  me  much  during  the  morning.  I  had  lent 
my  leathern  drinking-cup  to  Visconti,  and  as  he  was  passing  it  back  to 
me,  Doniella  seized  hold  of  it  and  gave  it  to  Pepino,  who  quietly  put  it 
into  his  pocket  I  asked  for  it,  but  he  took  no  notice  of  my  request,  and 
went  away,  while  I  was  not  allowed  to  move.  I  asked  several  to  go  to 
him  for  it,  but  they  said  it  was  only  a  joke,  and  he  would  be  sure  to  give  it 
me  back ;  but  it  shared  the  same  fate  as  the  capuce,  and  so  I  was  robbed 
of  both  these  useful  articles. 


188  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

vious  night,  for  it  is  seldom  that  an  Italian  ever  forgets  an 
insult  or  an  injury,  and  last  night  he  had  been  most  indig- 
nant at  the  captive  turning  round  against  the  captor.  In- 
structions were  now  given  by  Manzo  to  Lorenzo  and  Pa- 
vone  (who,  with  Antonio,  Scope,  and  Malone,  were  to  take 
charge  of  me  during  the  absence  of  the  captain  and  the  rest 
of  the  baud)  never  to  lose  sight  of  me  day  or  night — that  I 
was  never  to  be  allowed  to  move  from  the  hiding-place 
chosen  —  that  a  factione^  alias  sentinel,  was  always  to  be 
posted  close  to  me  ;  and  that,  as  regarded  food,  I  was  to  be 
treated  like  a  companion,  share  and  share  alike.  This,  I 
presume,  was  added  specially,  because,  when  Pepino  stole 
my  portion  of  bread,  I  had  told  Manzo  that  they  had  always 
given  us  a  smaller  share  of  food  than  they  had  taken  for 
themselves. 

They  were  also  told  that  if  I  escaped  their  lives  were  to 
answer  for  it ;  that  I  was  to  be  shot  down  without  mercy 
should  I  attempt  to  run  away,  and  that  they  were  to  collect 
all  the  bread  that  they  could  possibly  obtain. 

We  were  then  left -to  ourselves,  and  Manzo,  with  about 
twenty-five  men,  went  down  to  try  their  luck  upon  the 
plains.  We  rekindled  the  fire,  and  spent  the  hour  that  we 
remained  in  this  place  warming  ourselves  over  it.  Visconti 
and  his  guide  had  gone  away  to  the  south ;  Manzo  had  also 
gone  in  the  same  direction ;  Pepino  had  taken  a  northwest 
direction,  while  we  went  to  the  southeast  down  the  mount- 
ain, retracing  the  path  by  which  we  had  ascended  last  night. 
Scope  and  Malone  each  carried  a  sack  of  bread  on  their 
shoulders,  and  Lorenzo  carried  a  quantity  of  cheese  in  the 
wallet  which  had  belonged  to  poor  Luigi,  who  had  been 
killed,  as  I  have  related,  by  falling  over  a  precipice.  It  was 
considered  too  light  for  us  to  walk  on  the  scorza,  for  fear  of 
meeting  the  troops,  or  being  seen  by  peasants,  who  might 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  28.  189 

give  information  to  them ;  so  we  Avaited  in  the  frasche  for 
another  hour,  Lorenzo  telling  me  the  while  that  Ave  were 
now  going  to  have  a  good  time  of  it,  with  plenty  to  eat,  and 
that  I  was  to  fear  nothing,  but  that  the  slightest  attempt  to 
escape  would  prove  fatal  to  me.  I  felt  very  wretched ;  I 
had  seen  my  fellow-captives  go  joyfully  away,  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  soon  being  united  to  all  dear  to  them,  while  for  me 
all  was  uncertainty  and  misery.  I  could  not  understand 
from  the  letters  I  had  received  what  my  friends  were  doing, 
for  I  saw  that  none  of  the  band  would  trust  themselves  in 
the  power  of  any  one,  and  the  idea  of  going  on  board  any 
man-of-war  was  laughed  at  and  refused,  after  the  way  in 
which  the  captain's  brother  had  been  treated  by  the  soldiers 
when  bringing  the  consul's  letter,  and  armed  with  a  pass 
from  the  general.  It  was  most  fortunate  for  me  that  they 
would  not  hear  of  it,  for  my  life  would  certainly  have  been 
sacrificed  in  revenge  for  the  bad  faith  on  the  part  of  the 
Italian  government. 

(The  civil  authorities  at  Florence  had  agreed  to  the  plan 
at  the  request  of  our  minister  there,  and  on  this  agreement 
the  consul  general  had  telegraphed  to  the  Foreign  Office  for 
a  vessel,  and  they  had  sent  to  Malta  ordering  the  Magici- 
enne,  sixteen  guns,  Captain  Armytage,  to  go  to  Salerno  with 
sealed  orders.  But  the  military  authorities  had  determined 
not  to  allow  the  proposed  scheme  to  be  carried  out,  and  in- 
tended to  have  seized  the  brigands  while  on  their  way  to  the 
sea-shore.  I  learned  this  after  my  release,  and  I  am  surely 
justified  in  thinking  that  non  tali  auxilio,nec  defensoribus 
istis,  would  my  release  ever  have  been  brought  about.) 

As  soon  as  it  grew  dusk  we  ventured  on  the  roadway,  but 
this  time  it  was  all  down  hill,  and  the  descent  occupied  only 
half  the  time  of  the  ascent.  We  crossed  the  stream  nearly 
opposite  a  long  low  store-house,  situated  some  way  up  the 


190  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

mountain,  on  the  western  side  of  the  stream.  How  well  I 
got  to  know  that  house !  for  the  next  three  weeks  it  was 
always  in  sight,  and  I  was  constantly  watching  it  for  the 
chance  of  seeing  an  honest  man,  a  sight  which  —  though  I 
could  never  approach  him  —  seemed  to  comfort  me.  We 
had  ascended  along  a  dark  and  gloomy  ravine,  where  the 
ground  was  very  wet  from  the  heavy  rain.  Our  boots  and 
legs  were  as  wet  as  they  could  be,  as  well  as  our  capotes, 
and  in  this  state  we  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  sleep.  I  was 
off  in  a  moment,  for  I  had  had  no  sleep  the  night  before,  and 
had  done  a  great  deal  of  walking  during  the  last  two  days. 

June  8.  We  woke  very  wet  and  cold,  and  went  higher 
up,  where  we  found  a  little  grotto  just  large  enough  for  our 
party ;  the  rock  rose  above  it  covered  with  ivy,  and  a  nar- 
row space  at  the  bottom  of  this  served  as  a  path  for  us  when 
the  brigands  wished  to  go  either  to  the  right  or  left ;  im- 
mediately below  us  was  the  ravine,  and  with  a  sentinel 
on  the  watch,  no  one  could  approach  without  our  having 
plenty  of  time  to  escape  before  they  could  get  near  enough 
to  do  us  any  harm,  unless  the  troops  were  to  come  from 
above  and  below  simultaneously,  in  which  case  we  should 
have  been  caught  in  a  trap.  It  was  a  most  gloomy  place, 
and  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  the  trees  close  at  hand. 

We  stopped  here  for  the  next  three  days,  spending  a 
most  quiet  time — a  great  contrast  to  the  hard  time  I  had 
had  while  with  Cerino  and  his  band,  who  had  always  ill- 
treated  me ;  here  they  left  me  pretty  well  to  myself,  and 
interfered  but  little  with  me.  Lorenzo  and  Antonio  went 
out  every  night  foraging,  and  always  returned  with  a  quan- 
tity of  bread ;  once  with  a  large  lump  of  freshly-made 
cheese,  a  little  meat  that  had  been  cooked  by  shepherds, 
and  some  cherries.  Another  time  they  brought  up  &  fiasco 
of  wine,  of  all  of  which  they  gave  me  a  fair  share,  telling  me 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  June  1  to  28.  191 

they  wished  to  keep  me  well.  They  also  had  some  pasta, 
which  was  always  cooked  at  mid-day ;  the  fire  was  made 
against  the  rock,  and  if  any  smoke  arose  it  was  lost  amid 
the  ivy.  I  always  watched  the  process  of  boiling  the  mac- 
aroni with  interest,  having  nothing  else  to  do  to  while  away 
a  weary  hour.  The  great  pot  was  half  filled  with  water, 
and  put  on  to  boil,  with  a  lump  of  bacon  fat  that  had  been 
well  chopped  with  their  knives ;  pepper  and  salt  was  added, 
and  by  the  time  the  water  boiled  the  fat  was  nearly  melt- 
ed. The  ixtsta,  which  they  had  well  picked  over,  was  now 
put  in,  and  boiled  till  it  was  soft  enough ;  the  caldron  was 
then  taken  off  the  fire  and  put  on  one  side  to  cool.  They 
did  it  with  so  much  nicety  that  the  pasta  just  soaked  up 
the  water,  and  they  very  seldom  had  to  pour  any  off.  When 
cool  enough  we  used  to  collect  round,  and  some  with  fingers, 
and  some  with  spoons,  soon  made  the  bottom  of  the  pot 
appear.  The  quantity  they  would  stow  away  was  surpris- 
ing. Pavone  always  went  on  eating  at  least  five  minutes 
longer  than  any  of  the  rest.  The  bread  was  all  taken  out 
of  the  sacks  and  stowed  away  in  the  holes  in  the  caves  ;  all 
the  new  bread  that  was  got,  having  been  twice  baked,  would 
last  any  time,  but  it  was  as  hard  as  a  brick. 

Seeing  Antonio  writing  a  letter  with  great  difficulty,  I 
offered  to  assist  him,  and  composed  a  letter  to  his  mother  in 
prison,  which  was  read  out  loud,  to  the  great  satisfaction 
of  all  the  band.  Manzo's  cousin  then  asked  me  to  write  one 
for  him,  which  was  rather  more  difficult,  as  it  was  to  his 
beloved,  who,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  her  parents,  had 
been  engaged  to  this  bandit.  After  many  vows  of  eternal 
love,  she  was  entreated  not  to  forget  her  disconsolate  lover 
in  the  wild  woods  and  mountains,  who  "  trusted  to  the  Al- 
mighty to  enable  him  to  escape  his  now  desperate  course  of 
life."     He  implored  her  not  to  think  of  any  one  else.    I  put 


192         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

it  all  in  pretty  language,  as  endearing  as  I  could  manage  in 
Italian.  It  was  (like  the  other)  read  out  loud,  and  met  with 
unqualified  approbation.  I  was  not  allowed  to  address  it, 
for  fear  of  compromising  the  beloved  one. 

One  afternoon  they  were  very  angry  with  me,  who  had 
offended  in  the  most  innocent  way.  While  they  wrere  tak- 
ing their  usual  afternoon  siesta  I  was  put  in  my  usual 
place,  lying  down  (for  the  cave  was  too  low  to  allow  of  any 
other  position)  with  them  all  in  front  of  me,  so  that  I  could 
not  possibly  leave  the  cave  without  waking  them.  They 
thought  I  was  asleep,  and  all  dropped  off  fast.  I  got  very 
tired  of  being  in  the  same  position,  and  besides  this,  my  hips 
were  quite  sore  from  the  hard  ground ;  I  tried  to  sit  up,  and 
in  doing  so  my  hat  touched  the  top  of  the  cave,  and  rolled 
down  past  where  they  were  lying  asleep.  I  managed  to 
rest  my  back  against  the  side  and  sit  up.  (I  always  took 
advantage  of  their  sleeping  to  read  through  our  Church 
Service,  which  I  now  did  daily.)  At  last  they  woke  up, 
and  when  Lorenzo  saw  me  sitting  up,  and  my  hat  two  yards 
off,  he  was  very  angry,  and  said  that  I  had  been  trying  to 
escape.  All  joined  with  him,  and  raved  at  me  for  the  rest 
of  the  day.  I  told  them  how  it  had  happened,  but  they 
would  not  be  convinced  but  that  it  was  as  they  imagined. 

It  was  here  that  I  first  became  sensible  that  I  had  become 
the  dwelling-place  of  dozens  of  those  disgusting  little  insects 
whose  very  name  makes  one  shudder  in  my  own  cleanly 
land,  where  a  very,  very  small  proportion  only  of  the  popu- 
lation know  more  of  them  than  their  name ;  the  brigands 
are  always  full  of  them,  on  account  of  their  filthy  habit  of 
not  washing,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  clean  clothing. 
Every  thing  belonging  to  them  is  infested  with  these  in- 
sects, and  if  only  one  gets  a  footing  on  a  man,  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  escape  the  plague ;  and  a  plague  it  truly  is,  as  I  soon 


Diary  of  Mr.  Mbens,  June  1  to  28.  193 

found  out.  I  had  worn  the  same  clothes  day  and  night  for 
nearly  a  month,  and  had  never  been  allowed  to  wash  myself. 
If  I  attempted  to  remove  any  garment,  I  was  immediately 
told  to  put  it  on  again,  for  fear  of  the  troops  coming,  and 
our  having  to  run  for  our  lives,  and  water  being  generally 
very  scarce  in  our  hiding-places.  I  was  not  even  ever  al- 
lowed to  take  off  my  boots,  except  for  the  purpose  of  shak- 
ing out  the  dust  and  dirt,  and  so  I  was  deprived  of  the  com- 
fort of  removing  them  after  a  long  march. 

I  had  never  even  seen  one  ofiny  new  persecutors  before, 
and  I  was  truly  horrified  when  I  discovered  that  I  was  cov- 
ered with  them.  I  had  been  without  a  comb,  and  I  was 
afraid  of  using  theirs  for  this  very  reason,  and  this  filthy 
state  their  combs  were  always  in.  I  was  not  able  to  touch 
my  hair  till  the  19th  of  June,  when  I  received  the  comb  sent 
me  by  my  friends.  In  a  very  short  time  my  whole  body 
was  covered  with  bites,  and  my  skin  presented  the  same 
appearance  as  if  I  had  the  scarlet  fever.  Fearful  was  the 
irritation  occasioned,  and  my  body  was  very  soon  one  mass 
of  sores.  As  time  went  on,  instead  of  getting  better,  it 
grew  worse  and  worse  till  the  day  of  my  release.  The  brig- 
ands suffer  much  themselves ;  but  their  skin  being  hardei', 
and  thoroughly  inoculated  with  the  poison,  it  never  shows 
the  bites. 

Lorenzo  offered  me  a  clean  shirt,  but  I  was  still  afraid  of 
leaving  off  flannel.  Next  day,  however,  I  gladly  accepted 
it,  and  for  a  few  days  I  was  better.  He  had  previously  got 
a  collar  and  white  pocket-handkerchief  washed  for  me,  and 
now  I  intrusted  this  precious  garment  to  his  care;  but, 
alas !  I  never  saw  it  again ;  and  probably  it  is  now  worn  by 
the  peasant  who  charged  a  ducat  (or  3s.  4f?.)  for  washing  it. 
One  day,  when  Lorenzo  returned  from  foraging,  he  reported 
a  better  and  safer  grotto  higher  up,  to  which  we  removed 

I 


194  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

on  the  11th  of  June.  It  was  exactly  opposite  the  store- 
house, at  the  end  of  the  spur  of  the  mountains,  between  the 
two  valleys.  When  we  unstored  the  bread,  a  great  deal 
was  found  to  be  mouldy,  the  weather  had  been  so  wet. 
We  had  to  eat  this  first ;  a  great  quantity  had  been  accu- 
mulated, but  more  was  got  every  second  night.  We  re- 
mained here  a  week,  passing  a  very  quiet  and  secure  time, 
only  worried  by  the  musquitoes,  which  came  out  by  swarms 
at  sunset  and  in  the  early  morning.  I  found  a  pair  of  kid 
gloves  in  my  pocket,  which  I  wore  to  protect  my  hands ; 
but,  notwithstanding  all  my  care,  I  got  dreadfully  bitten. 
House-flies  and  blue-bottles  also  were  most  annoying ;  they 
would  keep  settling  on  our  faces,  and  nothing  would  drive 
them  off. 

Afterward  I  often  looked  back  to  this  quiet  fortnight.  I 
grew  quite  stout  from  the  bread  diet  and  want  of  exercise. 
I  was  always  lying  down,  but  could  not  get  into  the  habit 
of  sleeping  in  the  daytime.  How  long  the  day  seemed ! 
but  I  was  well  treated,  Scope  being  the  only  One  who  was 
not  kind  to  me.  The  other  four  were  the  best  disposed  of 
all  the  band  toward  me,  except  the  captain.  They  too,  aft- 
erward, often  alluded  to  this  quiet  time,  when  food  was  so 
abundant,  and  when  wine  came  up  to  us  three  or  four  times. 
Meat  was  the  only  rarity ;  once  only  did  it  appear. 

One  day  we  heard  a  rustle  in  the  wood  below  us,  and 
Pavone  crept  down  to  see  what  it  was,  and  in  a  short  time 
returned  with  a  peasant,  whom  he  told  to  sit  down ;  but, 
seeing  that  I  was  looking  at  him,  he  called  him  aside  so  that 
I  could  not  see  him.  He  left  his  jacket,  hatchet,  and  a  large 
roll  of  the  bark  of  a  sycamore-tree,  which  is  used  for  the 
soles  of  women's  shoes,  where  he  had  been  sitting.  Scope 
overhauled  the  pockets,  and  finding  some  tinder,  quietly  ap- 
propriated  it.     The  cuffs  of  the  coat  were  tied  up,  and  thus 


Diary  of  Mr.  Mbens,  June  1  to  28.  195 

the  sleeves  were  made  into  bags.  This,  I  suspect,  is  a  fa- 
vorite way  of  carrying  articles  that  are  meant  to  be  con- 
cealed ;  the  jacket  is  then  thrown  over  the  shoulder,  which 
is  the  usual  way  of  carrying  it  in  warm  weather.  I  had 
seen  a  half  Napoleon  given  to  him  as  a  complimento  while 
he  was  sitting  near  me,  but  I  could  not  find  out  what  for. 
After  Pavone  had  been  talking  half  an  hour  with  him,  he 
came  back  and  told  me  to  lie  down  with  my  face  to  the 
ground ;  my  capote  was  then  thrown  over  me,  and  I  was 
told  that  the  peasant  was  vifame,  and  that  they  were  going 
to  kill  him.  The  peasant  was  then  taken  past  me,  and  I 
drew  the  cloak  on  one  side  and  looked  out,  which  drew 
down  on.  me  the  anger  of  all.  In  a  few  minutes  those  of 
my  guardians  who  went  with  him  came  back  and  told  me 
they  had  killed  him.  I  asked  them  what  was  the  use  of 
lying  to  me  so ;  that  if  they  had  been  going  to  kill  him  they 
would  not  have  given  him  a  present,  and  that  dead  men  did 
not  carry  their  bark  away  with  them.  In  two  days'  time  I 
saw  the  same  peasant  again,  so  I  asked  them  if  he  had  risen 
from  the  grave ;  they  laughed,  and  said  I  \»as  too  wide 
awake  to  what  was  going  on. 

Andrea,  the  executioner,  came  up  here  and  joined  us  with 
two  or  three  others.  He  was  suffering  from  fever,  and  took 
advantage  of  this  to  appropriate  to  himself  any  delicacies, 
such  as  cheese,  etc.,  that  we  had  by  us.  They  brought  up 
with  them  a  quantity  of  onions  and  garlic,  which  they  had 
stolen  when  in  the  plain  of  Salerno,  where  they  had  been 
with  Manzo  to  look  after  another  victim,  but  happily  with- 
out success.  They  had  been  close  to  Salerno,  and  had  been 
discovered  four  times  by  the  troops,  but  had  got  back  with- 
out losing  any  of  their  number.  They  grumbled  very  much 
at  the  vigilance  of  the  general,  and  told  me  that  if  the  troops 
were  not  withdrawn  my  head  was  to  be  cut  off.  My  an- 
swer to  this  was  as  usual,  '•'■Bene  se  volete." 


196         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

I  had  been  so  long  without  vegetable  food  that  I  was  de- 
lighted with  onions,  and  ate  them  like  apples ;  the  cloves 
of  garlic  also  were  roasted  and  eaten,  and  also  put  into  the 
pasta,  so  I  was  forced  to  get  used  to  the  flavor,  and  after 
the  first  two  attempts  I  even  got  to  like  it,  though  previ- 
ously I  would  have  gone  any  distance  to  avoid  the  proxim- 
ity of  any  one  who  had  been  partaking  of  it.  The  greedi- 
ness of  Scope  always  disgusted  me ;  not  contented  with  his 
share,  he  always  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to 
steal  any  bacon  or  cheese  that  had  been  put  away  for  the 
next  day,  and  he  was  never  satisfied  unless  he  was  always 
eating.  While  in  this  place  I  amused  myself  with  carving 
on  my  stick  —  "  XV  Maggio,  1865.  W.  J.  C.  M.  J.  C.  M. 
A.  Presi  dalla  banda  di  Manzo."  This  delighted  them 
immensely,  and  they  were  continually  making  me  read  to 
them  what  I  had  written. 

Early  in  the  morning  on  the  19th  of  June  I  was  thrown 
into  a  great  state  of  excitement  by  seeing  Zacharia  come 
up.  He  had  two  letters  for  me  —  one  from  the  consul  gen- 
eral at  Naples,  Mr.  Bonham,  and  the  other  from  my  wife — 
the  first  that  I  had  received.  He  also  had  brought  up 
17,000  francs,  and  had  left  a  bundle  of  the  warm  clothing 
that  I  had  sent  for  by  Visconti.  But  I  had  to  practice  pa- 
tience. The  captain  had  to  read  the  letters  before  I  was 
allowed  to  have  them.  Visconti's  man  told  me  that  Don 
Francesco  and  Tomasino  had  recovered  their  fatigues  and 
were  quite  well.  I  asked  him  if  the  former  had  been  to 
Naple%-to  see  Mrs.  Moens.  This  I  was  told  he  had  done 
the  second  day  after  getting  home.  He  was  given  a  loaf 
of  bread,  and  then  went  away ;  and  the  letters  and  mon- 
ey were  sent  to  Manzo,  who  was  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
the  afternoon  the  letters  were  sent  down  to  me,  the  cap- 
tain having  read  them,  and  also  a  letter  which  I  had  re- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens^June  1  to  28.  197 

quested  Visconti  to  get  his  father  to  write,  in  order  to  dis- 
abuse the  brigands'  mind  as  to  my  being  a  "  Milord." 

This  letter  was  entirely  about  myself,  and  did  not  refer 
to  any  other  matter.  I  mention  this  particularly,  because 
many  have  wished  to  implicate  this  unfortunate  family  as 
being  manntengoli  —  i.  e., "  hand-extenders,"  or  supporters 
of  the  brigands.  Nothing  could  be  more  absurd  than  this, 
for  they  had  just  paid  more  than  £4000  for  the  ransom  of 
two  members  of  their  family,  the  greater  part  of  which 
money  I  saw  received  by  and  divided  among  the  band. 

"When  I  received  my  wife's  letter  I  kissed  it  before  them 
all,  and  eagerly  devoured  the  contents ;  but  the  sight  of 
the  well-known  characters  produced  a  reaction  also,  and  I 
felt  dreadfully  miserable  and  low-spirited.  Among  other 
things  that  were  sent  to  me  was  a  New  Testament. 

I  was  now  made  to  write  more  letters.  How  my  heart 
sank  at  the  phrases  I  was  forced  to  use,  the  captain  stand- 
ing over  me  dictating,  and  threatening  the  most  awful  things 
should  the  troops  not  be  withdrawn  and  the  money  sent  at 
once.  I  explained  to  him  that  my  friends  had  written  to 
England  for  money,  and  that  it  took  a  long  time  to  receive 
an  answer.  I  also  told  him  that  a  letter  in  English  would 
be  far  more  effective  than  one  in  Italian  dictated  by  him, 
and  that  the  English  were  not  like  Italians,  and  it  was  of 
no  use  to  ask  so  much  money,  for  my  friends  would  never 
send  it.  The  most  they  could  expect  to  raise  would  be 
5000  or  10,000  ducats,  and  even  that  was  very  improba- 
ble, for  I  knew  the  consul  would  not  pay  any  thing  for  me. 
They  told  me  that  one  of  my  ships  was  at  Salerno,  and  five 
more  at  Naples ;  and  they  wanted  to  know,  if  I  did  not 
make  war  on  Victor  Emmanuel  myself,  whether  the  En- 
glish nation  would  send  soldiers  out  to  do  so.  I  assured 
them  that  I  did  not  even  possess  a  little  boat,  and  that  the 


198         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigand*. 

ships  were  not  mine,  but  belonged  to  the  Queen  of  En- 
gland. They  would  not  believe  my  statements  that  I  was 
not  the  rich  man  they  took  me  for,  and  the  captain  would 
not  hear  of  writing  for  less  than  the  original  sum.  lie  said 
that  the  Italian  government  was  going  to  pay,  and  that 
they  had  a  letter  from  the  secretary  of  the  prefect  at  Sa- 
lerno stating  that  all  the  money  was  there ;  but  the  gov- 
ernment were  sending*  only  a  little  at  a  time,  in  order  to 
get  off  cheaper.  At  last  the  letter  was  written.  It  was 
rather  difficult  for  me  to  write  without  help  in  Italian  ;  be- 
fore this  I  always  had  the  assistance  of  Visconti. 

The  captain  now  went  away,  leaving  with  me  only  five 
of  the  men,  and  giving  orders  that  we  were  to  leave  the 
place  where  we  had  spent  the  last  twelve  days,  and  to  go  to 
the  mountain  opposite ;  so  in  the  evening  we  descended, 
crossed  the  river,  and  then  went  up  to  the  place  fixed  upon. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  river  Lorenzo  went  a  few  yards 
from  the  path,  and  from  the  corner  of  a  bank  brought  forth 
my  things,  tied  up  in  a  red  silk  pocket-handkerchief.  I 
was  delighted  to  see  a  thin  water-proof  coat,  which  would 
serve  to  keep  me  from  the  ill  effects  of  the  wet  ground  at 
night.  I  could  not  examine  my  treasures  then,  as  I  had  to 
devote  myself  to  the  steep  path  before  us. 

All  this  side  of  the  valley  was  cultivated  to  a  considerable 
height  with  wheat,  potatoes,  and  Indian  corn.  We  observed 
great  caution  in  passing  the  magazine  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred before.  We  soon  came  to  a  deep  and  most  diffi- 
cult ravine.  The  rocky  and  precipitous  sides  of  the  narrow 
chasm  were  covered  with  tremendous  brambles,  the  stems 
of  which  were  an  inch  thick,  and  bore  a  purple  bloom. 
There  were  also  a  quantity  of  nettles,  which  stung  me  ter- 
ribly. At  last,  after  climbing  up  some  way,  we  found  n 
place  where  we  could  manage  to  lie  down.     In  winter  this 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  1  to  28.  199 

ravine  served  for  a  succession  of  waterfalls,  and  the  bottom 
of  it  was  covered  with  huge  pieces  of  rock  jumbled  one  on 
another.  My  place  was  in  a  bed  of  nettles ;  but  there  was 
no  denying  my  orders,  so  down  I  went,  taking  care  to 
keep  my  capote  well  under  me.  I  could  not  sleep  for  think- 
ing of  all  those  that  were  striving  so  to  obtain  my  release. 

June  20.  Toward  the  morning  weariness  caused  me  to 
fall  asleep,  and  I  did  not  wake  till  eight  or  nine  o'clock. 
It  was  a  lovely  morning,  and  there  were  myriads  of  large 
butterflies  flying  up  and  over  the  ravine,  apparently  at- 
tracted by  the  blossoms  of  the  enormous  brambles  growing 
all  around  us.  After  I  had  satisfied  my  hunger  with  mouldy 
bread  without  any  thing  to  drink  (for  no  water  had  been 
brought  up  last  night),  I  examined  the  bundle  of  clothing 
sent  to  me,  and  immediately  took  off  the  cotton  shirt  lent 
to  me  by  Lorenzo,  and  put  on  a  flannel  one;  the  warm  un- 
der-clothing I  reserved  till  we  ascended  higher  up  the  mount- 
ains, for  now  we  were  low  down  and  close  to  the  cultivated 
land.  I  found,  to  my  great  delight,  a  New  Testament  in 
Italian,  and  a  copy  of  Fenelon's  Conseils,  with  various  parts 
marked  by  my  wife  for  my  especial  perusal. 

How  dear  these  books,  together  with  my  little  Prayer- 
book,  became  to  me  during  all  the  weeks  I  was  in  the 
mountains!  They  were  my  only  companions,  and  many 
weary  hours  did  I  escape  in  reading  them.  I  often  read 
the  Italian  Bible  to  the  men,  who  would  listen  and  make 
remarks  with  the  greatest  interest ;  I  also  became  the  proud 
possessor  of  a  comb,  or  rather  half  of  one,  for  Mr.  Aynsley 
thought  that  if  a  whole  one  were  sent  it  would  give  the 
idea  that  I  was  too  well  off.  I  spent  some  time  to-day 
combing  out  my  hair  and  beard,  which  had  been  guiltless 
of  any  thing  of  the  kind  for  nearly  five  weeks,  I  having 
been  afraid  to  use  the  filthy  comb  belonging  to  the  brig- 


200         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

ands.  I  borrowed  a  little  round  looking-glass,  and  found 
that  the  bread  diet  of  the  last  fortnight  had  filled  out  my 
face  and  made  me  look  much  stouter.  I  determined  to 
make  the  most  of  my  new  acquisitions,  and  so  I  put  on  a 
clean  collar  and  cravat ;  my  scarf-pin  I  had  great  trouble 
in  saving,  for  it  was-  coveted  by  many,  and  nothing  but  the 
statement  that  it  had  been  a  present  from  my  wife  enabled 
me  to  keep  it.  The  brigands  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  the  collars  of  the  period,  and  all  kept  asking  me  what 
the  white  thing  round  my  neck  was. 

Another  pair  of  good  strong  boots,  with  extra  soles  (put 
on  at  Naples),  were  also  among  my  treasures ;  but  these 
also  I  reserved  till  the  ones  I  was  wearing  were  good  for 
nothing.  The  five  weeks'  work  had  already  greatly  injured 
them,  but  they  were  still  equal  to  two  more  nights'  walking. 
I  enjoyed  the  sensation  of  a  clean  pair  of  socks,  and  I  re- 
served the  pair  I  had  worn  all  the  time  for  the  chance  of 
getting  them  washed ;  but  in  a  day  or  two  I  was  made  to 
give  them  up,  and  I  afterward  found  out  that  they  had 
passed  to  my  persecutor  Pepino.  I  then  put  all  my  newly- 
acquired  wealth  in  a  blue  checked  bag,  in  which  somejxcsta 
had  come  up,  and  then  tied  it  up  in  a  maccatore.  This 
served  ever  after  as  my  pillow,  and  saved  me  always  look- 
ing for  a  large  stone  or  piece  of  a  rock,  which  hitherto  I  had 
used  for  this  purpose. 

I  had  searched  all  the  pockets  of  the  water-proof  coat  for 
news  from  Naples,  but  nowhere  could  I  find  a  line,  un- 
friends being  afraid  of  the  consequences,  should  the  brigands 
have  found  it  out.  I  was  delighted  in  finding  that  several 
pieces  of  newspaper,  in  which  my  things  had  been  wrapped, 
bad  not  been  taken  away,  as  afterward  they  invariably  did, 
paper  being  scarce  in  the  woods,  and  eagerly  sought  for  the 
purpose  of  making  cartridges,  if  stiff  enough,  or  else  for  light- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moetis,  June  7  ifo  28.  201 

ing  fires.  In  one  fragment  I  discovered  that  affairs  in  Mex- 
ico were  in  a  very  bad  state,  and  in  a  piece  of  the  Times  I 
was  able  to  see  the  present  value  of  various  stocks  and 
shares  that  I  possessed.  My  guardians  did  not  much  like 
my  reading  these  papers,  for  none  of  them  were  able  to  un- 
derstand what  they  were  about,  and  it  is  contrary  to  the 
practices  of  brigandage  to  allow  captives  to  read  the  events 
of  the  day. 

(These  were  the  first  and  last  things  I  received  through 
my  whole  captivity ;  for,  though  I  wrote  for  various  articles 
— particularly  shirts — which  were  always  sent  by  my  friends, 
who  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost,  I  never  received 
them,  my  captors  intercepting  them  and  wearing  them 
themselves ;  and  the  shirt  which  I  put  on  clean  on  the  20th 
of  June  I  took  off  on  the  25th  of  August,  having  worn  it 
day  and  night  all  this  time !) 

The  two  next  days  passed  very  quietly,  but  I  suffered 
very  much  from  exposure  to  the  sun,  which  was  now  fear- 
fully hot  at  midday ;  and  no  one  who  has  not  experienced  it 
on  these  mountains  can  imagine  the  torture  I  underwent  in 
being  without  protection  from  the  sun's  burning  rays.  The 
books  which  I  now  had  by  me  helped  somewhat  to  while 
away  the  afternoons.  We  were  very  scantily  supplied  with 
water,  which  was  only  brought  up  once  a  day — about  two 
hours  after  sunset. 

12 


202        English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Diaey  op  Mes.  Moens,  June  18  to  July  31. 

The  second  Installment  received. — Scheme  to  ascertain  the  Hostage's 
own  Views. — Journey  from  Salerno  to  Giffoni. — The  Fire-eating  Cor- 
poral.— Kindness  of  the  Authorities. — An  English  Letter  from  the 
Hostage. — An  Attempt  to  reduce  the  Ransom. — A  third  Installment 
sent  to  Giffoni. — The  Palazzo  Serracapriola. — Signora  Q. — Her  His- 
tory.—  Political  Persecution. — The  Questor.  —  His  Kindness. — The 
Press. — The  Rigors  of  the  Troops. — The  Neapolitan  Detective. — Re- 
sult of  the  Ladies' secret  Scheme. — Life  in  Ischia. — The  Vendetta. 

June  25.  Shoetly  before  the  arrival  of  H.  C at  Na- 
ples, the  second  installment  of  17,000  francs  (the  amount 
fixed  upon  after  anxious  deliberation)  had  been  sent  on  to 

Salerno,  and  carried  thence  to  Giffoni  by  Signor  D , 

whose  name  I  forbear  to  mention  for  fear  of  compromising 
him  with  his  countrymen,*  but  whose  services  to  my  hus- 
band can  never  be  forgotten. 

There  was  now  no  possibility  of  doing  more  till  the  re- 
ceipt of  this  sum  was  acknowledged,  and  an  appointment 
made  by  the  brigands  for  a  farther  payment.  All  parties 
were,  however,  on  the  qui  vive,  and  prepared  to  act  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice,  according  to  any  contingency  that  might  arise. 

*  I  may  here  mention  that,  if  the  account  given  of  the  manner  in  which 
my  friends  negotiated  with  the  band  should  appear  at  all  vague  or  mea- 
gre, it  must  be  understood  that  the  same  reason  applies  as  is  given  for  with- 
holding this  gentleman's  name.  I  am  naturally  unwilling  to  say  very 
much  on  so  delicate  a  matter,  when  the  interests  of  those  who  befriended 
me  might  suffer. — W.  J.  C.  M. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moe?is,  June  18  to  July  31.       203 

At  last,  on  the  22d,  a  letter  arrived  from  my  husband  ac- 
knowledging the  receipt  of  the  second  installment  of  17,000 
francs — one  addressed  to  Mr.  Bonham,  and  another  to  me, 
giving  a  most  distressing  account  of  his  situation.  My  hus- 
band's friends  were  all  still  in  great  doubt  as  to  whether 
the  brigands  would  keep  their  word  and  let  him  go,  even  if 
they  should  get  all  the  money  they  demanded.  It  was, 
therefore,  very  desirable  that  we  should  hear  from  my  hus- 
band himself  what  he  thought  of  this  matter.  This,  of 
course,  could  not  be  done  as  long  as  he  was  compelled  to 
write  in  Italian  to  the  brigands'  dictation,  and  therefore  an 
epistle  to  Manzo  was  composed,  intimating  that  as  my  hus- 
band's friends  knew  that  he  could  not  write  Italian,  they 
did  not  believe  that  the  letters  had  been  written  by  him ; 
but  that,  on  the  contrary,  they  had  heard  he  was  dead ;  and 
that  if  Manzo  did  not  allow  his  prisoner  to  write  in  En- 
glish, the  friends  would  neither  send  money  nor  hold  any 
farther  communication  with  the  band.  Mr.  Holme  started 
for  Salerno  on  the  23d  of  June  (followed  on  the  24th  by 

Messrs.  Bonham  and  C ),  and,  in  the  hope  of  reopening 

the  communication  with  the  brigands  on  a  more  satisfactory 
footing,  and  of  inducing  Signor  Yisconti  to  continue  his  in- 
valuable assistance  to  us,  proceeded  on  the  24th  to  the 
house  of  that  gentleman  at  Gifibni  with  the  letter. 

(Mr.  Holme  has,  in  compliance  with  our  request,  kindly 
written  an  account  of  this,  his  first  journey  to  Gifibni,  and  I 
have  his  permission  to  insert  it  here : 

"  Furnished  with  letters  to  the  authorities  at  Gifibni,  and 
with  an  escort  of  six  troopers  of  the  Cavalleggieri  di  Ca- 
serta  (through  the  kindness  of  General  Balegno,  command- 
ant of  the  province  of  Salerno),  I  started  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, accompanied  by  Signor  Michele  di  Majo  (the  brother 
of  the  landlord  of  the  Hotel  Vittoria),  whose  services  in  be- 


204          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

half  of  the  English  captive  were  throughout  of  the  greatest 
possible  value.  We  were  armed  with  rifle  and  revolver,  and 
we  felt  that  if  Manzo  or  any  of  his  confreres  had  any  inclina- 
tion to  add  our  names  to  the  list  of  ricattati,  we,  with  our 
escort,  should  have  been  able  to  give  them  a  warm  reception. 
"  For  the  first  three  miles  we  followed  the  road  to  Poes- 
tum,  which,  like  all  Italian  roads  in  summer,  was  thickly 
covered  with  dust,  and  we  soon  experienced  the  disadvan- 
tage of  having  a  cavalry  escort,  for,  before  we  had  gone  a 
mile  along  the  road,  we  were  well-nigh  smothered ;  and  if 
Manzo  or  his  compagni  had  been  on  any  of  the  adjacent 
hills,  they  might  have  traced  us  to  Giflbni  by  the  cloud  our 
protectors  raised  about  us.  After  we  left  the  high  road,  we 
turned  off  inland  toward  the  range  of  mountains  lying  to 
the  eastward.  The  scenery  now  rapidly  improved,  and  the 
wonderful  difference  made  by  an  abundant  supply  of  run- 
ning water  in  these  fertile  regions  during  the  summer 
months  became  every  moment  more  apparent.  The  Indian 
corn,  which,  with  the  tomato,  formed  the  principal  articles 
of  cultivation,  was  in  splendid  condition ;  but  what  would 
have  warmed  the  heart  of  many  a  hungry  peasant  had  a 
very  opposite  effect  on  my  companion  (who  belonged  to  the 
Bersaglieri  corps  of  the  Salernitan  National  Guard)  and  on 
our  escort.  They  began  to  look  anxiously  around:  the 
crops  were  so  high  that  a  man  could  easily  walk  upright 
through  the  fields  without  being  seen.  To  them,  the  luxu- 
riant vegetation  and  the  ripening  corn  were  sources  of  ill- 
concealed  misery,  indicating  a  secure  hiding-place  for  the 
brigands.  '  How  can  we  hope  to  starve  them  out,'  said  the 
corporal,  \  when  the.  whole  country  is  teeming  with  food  ? 
Would  that  it  were  autumn !  we  should  then  be  certain  of 
capturing  the  band,  and  of  releasing  your  unfortunate  coun- 
tryman.'    On  one  or  two  occasions,  our  gallant  corporal, 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Jfoens,  June  18  to  Jxdy  31.       205 

alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  several  people  among  the  In- 
dian corn,  stopped  the  carriage  and  galloped  forward  to 
reconnoitre ;  but,  being  satisfied  of  their  pacific  intention, 
he  allowed  us  to  proceed.  These  little  incidents,  together 
with  the  narration  of  all  kinds  of  adventures  and  hair- 
breadth escapes  with  the  brigands,  recounted  with  great 
zest  by  di  Majo  and  the  corporal,  served  to  while  away  the 
time ;  and  as  the  events  recounted  extended  over  a  space 
of  five  years,  there  was  no  danger  of  the  supply  failing ;  a 
lively  imagination,  too  often,  I  fancy,  supplying  what  mem- 
ory denied.  Like  old  people,  who  are  licensed  to  grumble 
at  the  degeneracy  of  the  present  age,  so  my  informants  bit- 
terly complained  that,  in  the  short  space  of  five  years,  even 
the  brigands  had  greatly  degenerated :  formerly  they  fought 
like  brave  men,  and  often  were  the  first  to  attack  the  troops ; 
but  now  they  always  ran  away,  and  never  gave  the  troops  a 
chance  of  shooting  them — a  proceeding  on  their  part  which, 
if  it  shows  degeneracy  of  spirit,  certainly  shows  increase  of 
wisdom,  sti'ikingly  exemplified  in  the  manner  in  which  Manzo 
at  the  present  moment  holds  his  own  against  the  troops. 

"  But  to  return  to  our  journey.  The  corporal  was  so  en- 
grossed in  his  narrative  that  he  forgot  to  keep  his  usual 
good  look-out,  and  it  made  our  hearts  leap  into  our  mouths 
when  he  suddenly  shouted  '  Halt !'  and  unslung  his  carbine, 
pointing  to  several  heads  peering  above  the  Indian  corn. 
Our  coachman  nearly  brought  his  horses  down  by  the  sud- 
den jerk  with  which  he  attempted  to  pull  up;  and,  not 
knowing  exactly  what  to  do,  we  all  looked  anxiously  in  the 
direction  the  corporal  was  pointing.  cIt  is  nothing,'  he 
said  at  last,  as,  looking  most  crestfallen,  he  dug  his  spurs 
into  his  horse's  flanks ;  '  I  took  those  countrymen  in  the  In- 
dian corn  to  be  brigands.'  As  they  stared  at  us  with  that 
stolid  look  which  these  country  people  generally  put  on 


206          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

whenever  they  see  troops,  he  gave  vent  to  his  disappoint- 
ed feelings  in  language  which,  if  pure  Italian,  was  certainly 
not  elegant — giving  it  as  his  opinion  that  if  they  were  not 
brigands  by  profession,  they  would  have  no  objection  to  try 
their  hands  at  it  when  occasion  offered. 

"  After  this  occurrence,  our  valiant  corporal  subsided  into 
a  sulky  silence ;  and  what  with  the  reaction  which  followed 
the  excitement  attending  these  little  incidents,  the  dust,  and 
the  heat,  we  all  felt  tired  and  anxious  to  reach  our  journey's 
end. 

"  In  about  two  and  a  half  hours  from  the  time  we  had 
left  Salerno  we  reached  Giffoni.  Our  entrance  created  quite 
a  sensation  among  the  villagers,  who  rushed  out  to  see  the 
'  Inglese'  who  had  come  to  ransom  his  countryman.  I  had 
hardly  been  an  hour  in  the  place  before  it  was  positively 
affirmed  by  the  knowing  ones  that  they  had  seen  the  money 
I  had  brought,  and  that  it  was  at  least  30,000  ducats !  The 
authorities  received  me  most  kindly,  and  gave  me  all  the 
information  they  could.  The  military  were  at  that  time 
very  sanguine  of  success ;  and  the  commanding  officer,  Cap- 
tain Salsa  (whose  kindness  throughout  I  shall  ever  grateful- 
ly remember),  confided  to  me  that,  from  information  re- 
ceived, he  fully  expected  the  band  would  be  taken  that 
night,  and  that  I  should,  in  every  probability,  take  Mr. 
Moens  back  in  triumph  to  Salerno  next  morning.  Con- 
tinued subsequent  failures  soon  made  me  skeptical  when- 
ever similar  expectations  were  expressed ;  but  on  this  oc- 
casion, participating  in  the  hopes  of  the  worthy  captain,  I 
felt  sorely  disappointed  when,  the  next  morning,  I  saw  the 
troops  returning  wearied  and  disheartened,  after  a  hard 
night's  march ;  and  it  did  not  require  to  hear  the  officer's 
report  to  know  that  they  had  been  unsuccessful.  I  arrived 
at  Salerno  on  the  afternoon  of  the  25th.") 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens^  June  18  to  July  31.        207 
I  should  here  mention  that  the  letters  which  H.  C 


obtained  at  Florence  were  without  delay  delivered  to  the 
authorities  at  Salerno,  and  that  these  important  officials  in- 
variably treated  all  my  husband's  countrymen,  who  were 
acting  for  him,  with  the  greatest  kindness  ;  the  general  con- 
stantly placing  an  escort  at  the  disposal  of  any  of  them  who 
wished  to  leave  Salerno  for  Giffoni,  and  the  prefect  also  do- 
ing every  thing  in  his  power  to  assist  them. 

July  4.  After  this  we  had  again  to  go  through  a  period 
of  harassing  anxiety  and  suspense,  until  the  brigands'  an- 
swer was  received,  every  one  chafing  with  vexation  at  the 
enforced  inactivity  from  which  there  was  no  escape.     The 

general,  too,  who  had,  at  the  request  of  Messrs.  C and 

Holme,  renewed  the  pass  for  a  limited  time  only,  was  evi- 
dently disinclined  to  extend  the  privilege  farther,  and  we 
were  therefore  exceedingly  anxious  that  the  messenger  from 
Giffoni  should  obtain  an  answer  before  it  was  too  late. 

At  last,  on  June  30th,  arrived  a  letter  from  my  husband, 
dated  the  29th,  in  which  he  had  been  allowed  to  write  a 
few  lines  in  English,  thus  showing  that  the  plan  had  suc- 
ceeded. 

The  bulk  of  this  letter  was,  like  his  former  letters,  written 
in  Italian,  with  a  statement  that  the  captain  had  allowed  him 
to  add  a  few  words  in  English,  which  were  as  follows: 
"  When  I  write  like  this  (upright),  it  is  from  me ;  when 
slanting,  it  is  dictated.  Where  are  my  friends  ?  Am  I  de- 
serted ?  Send  money  every  week,  if  you  can.  I  have  been 
very  ill  with  diarrhoea  and —  The  food  is  so  bad — nothing 
but  scraps  of  bread  and  cheese.  lam  free  the  moment  the 
money  is  paid.  God  bless  you,  dearest.  He  sends  this 
trial  for  our  good.  Tliey  think  this  country  %>ays  the  money, 
and  so  will  have  all.     I  have  not  told  them  I  can  pay." 

The  value  of  these  few  lines  in  English  can  not  be  over- 


208  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

estimated.  They  not  only  gave  us  the  clew  to  the  real 
meaning  of  all  future  letters,  but  also  relieved  my  advisers 
here  from  a  great  amount  of  responsibility. 

After  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Messrs.  Bonham,  Aynsley, 

and  C thought  that  they  could  no  longer  hesitate  to  pay 

as  large  a  sum  as  could  be  safely  sent  up  into  the  mountains 
at  one  time. 

The  brigands,  having  intimated  that  they  would  be  at  a 
certain  spot  on  Tuesday,  the  4th  of  July,  prepared  to  receive 

money,  Messrs.  Holme  and  C proceeded  to  Salerno  on 

the  1st,  with  26,400  francs,  being  10,000  in  addition  to  the 
sum  which  had  been  brought  back  from  Salerno  on  the  25th 
of  June. 

The  brigands'  letters  had  all  along  shown  that  they  be- 
lieved the  Italian  government  were  going  to  pay  eventually, 
and  had  refused  to  reduce  their  demand,  on  the  ground  that 
this  being  so,  the  captive's  means  were  out  of  the  question 
altogether.  My  husband  in  his  last  letter  also  alluded  to 
this,  and  expressed  a  wish  that  some  steps  should  be  taken 
by  the  authorities  to  eradicate  this  notion  from  the  minds 
of  his  captors. 

On  arriving  at  Salerno,  the  two  gentlemen,  bearing  this  in 
mind,  and  with  the  view  of  making  another  effort  to  reduce 
the  demand  of  the  brigands,  visited  the  general  and  the 
prefect  at  Salerno,  asking  the  latter  whether  his  govern- 
ment would  pay,  and  requesting  him  to  answer  the  question 
by  letter.  This  the  prefect  did,  giving  them  an  official  let- 
ter* addressed  to  me,  not  only  repudiating,  on  the  part  of 
the  Italian  government,  all  intention  of  paying  any  of  the 
ransom,  but  also  intimating  that  the  government  would  do 
all  in  its  power  to  prevent  money  or  provisions  being  sent 
by  me  or  any  one  else  to  the  brigands. 

*  Which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  C. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  3foens,  June  18  to  July  31.        209 

Mr.  Holme  returned  to  Naples  on  the  2d,  leaving  the 

24,600  francs  in  charge  of  Mr.  C and  Signor  D , 

who  carried  it  on  to  Giflbni  on  the  3d,  with  the  prefect's 
letter  to  me,  and  one  from  Mr.  Bonham  to  my  husband  to 
the  same  effect. 

(Now  came  another  period  of  suspense,  destined,  alas !  to 
be  of  far  longer  duration  than  any  which  we  had  undergone 
hitherto,  for,  as  it  turned  out  afterward,  the  troops  kept  such 
a  vigilant  watch  on  the  brigands  after  this  that  the  third  in- 
stallment of  money  lay  at  Signor  Visconti's  house  for  many 
weeks,  and  we  did  not  hear  of  its  receipt,  or  of  the  effect  of 
the  letters  on  the  brigands,  till  the  9th  of  August.  "What 
effect  the  letter  of  the  prefect  had  will  appear  hereafter  in 
the  course  of  my  husband's  narrative.) 

July  15.  About  this  time  I  wrote  to  Signor  Visconti, 
thanking  him  for  his  exertions  in  my  husband's  behalf,  and 
I  have  since  received  a  very  kind  reply  from  him.* 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aynsley  left  Naples  on  the  28th  of  June  to 
spend  a  few  days  in  Rome,  and  my  brother-in-law  advised 
me  to  leave  the  Hotel  de  Geneve  for  a  pension,  as  he  thought 
it  would  be  more  cheerful  for  me,  the  life  I  was  leading 
at  the  hotel  before  his  arrival  having  been  so  extremely 
solitary,  and  having  affected  my  health  very  seriously,  for 
my  friends  had  thought  it  advisable,  for  the  reasons  I  have 
mentioned  before,  that  English  residents  should  not  be  en- 
couraged to  come  and  see  me.  I  therefore  moved  from  the 
hotel  to  the  Palazzo  Serracapriola,  in  the  Riviera  di  Chiaja, 
a  short  time  before  my  brother-in-law  left  for  England, 
which  he  was  compelled  to  do,  after  waiting  as  long  as  he 
possibly  could  to  see  the  effect  of  the  last  letters  and  payment. 

*  I  have  ventured  to  give  a  translation  of  Signor  Visconti's  reply  in  the 
Appendix,  D,  to  show  how  considerately  and  courteously  he  behaved  to 
my  wife  at  this  time  of  trial. — W.  J.  C.  M. 


210  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigayuls. 

I  well  remember  accompanying  him  to  the  steamer  to  see 
the  last  of  him.  I  could  not  but  wonder  whether  I  should 
ever  again  be  starting  with  my  husband  for  dear  old  En- 
gland !  Alas !  I  had  but  too  much  reason  then  to  fear  that 
this  happy  time  would  never  come  for  me. 

How  I  vowed  mentally  never  to  leave  home  again,  if  we 
but  once  got  safe  back  !* 

The  Bay  of  Naples  looked  its  very  best  as  the  vessel 
steamed  away,  but  I  was  too  sad  to  enjoy  its  beauties  while 
the  ship  remained  in  sight. 

I  watched  it  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  when  it  at  last  dis- 
appeared from  my  view,  I  felt  the  loneliness  of  my  position, 

which  seemed  to  be  more  desolate  than  ever.     H.  C 

had  tried  hard  to  comfort  me  at  the  last  with  the  hope  that 
the  letters  sent  from  Salerno  on  the  3d  of  July,  with  the 
£1000,  would  produce  the  desired  effect;  but  I  had  met 
with  so  many  disappointments  that  I  could  not  bring  my- 
self to  think  that  any  thing  good  would  come  of  the  schemes 
of  my  friends. 

I  have  now  really  felt  what  "  hope  deferred"  means,  and 

*  In  March  I  copied  into  my  diary  the  following  paragraph  from 
"Geoffrey  Crayon:"  "A  prosperous  life  passed  at  home  has  little  inci- 
dent for  narrative;  it  is  only  the  poor  devils  who  are  tossed  about  the 
world  that  are  the  trne  heroes  of  story.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  between 
lots  in  life,  where  each  is  attended  with  its  peculiar  discontents.  He  who 
never  leaves  his  home  repines  at  his  monotonous  existence,  and  envies 
the  traveler,  whose  life  is  a  constant  tissue  of  wondrous  adventure ;  while 
he  who  is  tossed  about  the  world  looks  back  with  many  a  sigh  to  the  safe 
and  quiet  shore  which  he  has  abandoned.  I  can  not  help  thinking,  how- 
ever, that  the  man  that  stays  at  home,  and  cultivates  the  comforts  and 
pleasures  daily  springing  up  around  him,  stands  the  best  chance  of  happi- 
ness." To  me,  then,  these  observations  appeared  to  be  true;  and,  now 
that  I  am  at  the  end  of  my  travels,  I  see  no  reason  to  change  my  opinion. 
—A.  M. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  June  18  to  July  31.       211 

how  it  "  maketh  the  heart  sick."  I  try  my  best  to  cast  all 
my  care  on  God,  but  real  grief  is  very  different  to  imagina- 
ry sorrow. 

I  like  my  new  home  infinitely  better  than  the  hotel.    I 
have  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a 

Roman  lady,  the  Signora  Q ,  who  has  been  obliged  to 

leave  Rome  on  account  of  her  political  opinions.  Her  fa- 
ther, a  well-known  avvocato,  was  in  prison  there  for  five 
years  because  he  was  rather  too  liberal  in  his  ideas.  This 
lady  also  had  been  imprisoned  herself  for  five  months  in  one 
of  the  dark  prisons  in  Rome,  and  was  liberated  eventually 
without  a  trial,  through  her  own  presence  of  mind.  She 
one  day  received  a  visit  from  a  gentleman,  who  brought  her 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  a  great  friend,  with  a  request 
that  she  would  receive  the  bearer  for  a  few  days  as  her 
guest.  The  bearer  was  a  great  friend  of  Garibaldi,  and  had 
come  to  Rome  to  find  out  whether  the  people  were  ready 
for  a  revolution.  He  staid  at  her  house  some  days,  but  was 
at  last  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison  by  the  Papal  au- 
thorities. His  friends  wrote  to  her  to  inquire  what  had  be- 
come of  him,  and  she  sent  them  a  letter  by  the  driver  of  a 
diligence  informing  them  of  his  arrest.  The  letter  happened 
to  contain  a  remark  to  the  effect  that  "the  worst  enemy 
Rome  had  was  the  emperor."  One  morning,  shortly  after 
this,  she  was  in  bed,  when  the  police  came  into  her  room, 
and  obliged  her  to  rise  and  dress  in  their  presence,  and  then 
carried  her  off  to  pi-ison.  Day  after  day  a  priest  of  high 
rank  came  to  examine  her,  to  try  and  find  out  from  her  an- 
swers something  to  criminate  her.  He  once  asked  her  a 
question,  an  answer  to  which  might  have  injured  her  guest, 
who  had  been  thrown  into  prison,  but  she  had  the  presence 
of  mind  to  evade  answering  by  pleading  extreme  illness, 
and  saying  that  the  pain  in  her  head  was  too  violent  for  her 


212         English  Travelers  mid  Italian  Brigands. 

to  think  much.  The  doctor  was  sent  for,  and,  happily  for 
her,  he  told  her  questioner  that  the  signora  was  in  a  burn- 
ing fever,  and  must  be  left  in  tranquillity  for  some  days  to 
come.  The  excitement  and  fear  had  really  brought  on  a  se- 
vere attack  of  fever.  During  the  week  in  which  she  was 
freed  from  these  inquisitorial  visits,  she  succeeded  in  get- 
ting information  of  her  guest's  escape.  This  information 
was  conveyed  to  her  in  a  packet  of  tea  by  means  of  one 
word  written  on  a  tiny  piece  of  paper.  She  now  knew  that 
he  was  safe,  and  on  the  next  examination  she  felt  no  hesita- 
tion in  answering  the  question  freely,  and  she  was  liberated. 
It  is  said  that  the  words  in  her  letter  saved  her  — "  the 
worst  enemy  Rome  has  is  the  emperor,"  for  the  priests  are 
no  longer  partial  to  the  emperor.  The  police,  however,  did 
not  leave  her  in  peace  j  they  paid  constant  visits  to  her 
house,  looked  into  every  room  and  closet,  and  even  ripped 
open  the  cushions  and  pillows  in  search  of  letters.  This 
state  of  constant  espionage  was  so  unpleasant  to  her,  that 
she  and  her  husband  left  Rome  and  settled  in  Naples. 

The  signora  was  extremely  kind  to  me,  and  was  always 
ready  to  accompany  me  in  my  visits  to  the  questor,  which 
about  this  time  became  rather  frequent.  She  thought  that 
this  officer  might  be  of  great  assistance  in  procuring  the  lib- 
eration of  my  husband,  and  she  introduced  me  to  him  ac- 
cordingly.    He  was  a  personal  friend  of  hers. 

"We  have  requested  the  editors  of  the  different  Italian  pa- 
pers* to  insert  paragraphs  in  their  papers  in  furtherance  of 

the  plan  set  on  foot  by  H.  C and  Mr.  Holme  at  Salerno, 

to  the  effect  that  the  brigands  may  believe  that  the  Italian 

*  A  letter  having  appeared  in  the  London  Times  stating  that  my  hus- 
band was  a  "member  of  the  Stock  Exchange,"  one  of  the  Neapolitan 
papers  put  him  down  as  a  "large  shareholder  in  the  Bank  of  England !" 
— A.M. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,June  18  to  July  31.       213 

and  English  governments  have  both  positively  refused  to 
pay  any  of  the  ransom.  TVe  hope  this  will  reach  the  brig- 
ands, and  that  they  will  reduce  their  exorbitant  claims. 

The  24,600  francs  (i.e., about  £1000)  taken  to  Salerno  by 

Messrs.  Holme  and  C on  the  1st  of  July,  and  carried  on 

thence  to  Giffoni  on  the  3d,  is  still  lying  with  the  letters  at 
Signor  Visconti's  house,  the  vigilance  of  the  troops  having 
hitherto  prevented  the  brigands  from  coming  to  fetch  it 
away.  The  peasants  are  suffering  more  than  ever  from  the 
severe  measures  employed  by  the  authorities  to  starve  out 
the  brigands.  The  officers  complain  that  their  want  of  suc- 
cess is  caused  by  our  messengers  carrying  information  to 
the  band  with  regard  to  the  disposition  of  the  various  de- 
tachments ;  consequently,  the  strictest  orders  have  been  sent 
from  Florence  that  no  messenger  is  to  be  allowed  a  pass, 
and  any  peasant  found  carrying  a  letter  or  food  is  ordered  to 
be  shot  immediately,  without  trial. 

July  16.  No  news  of  my  husband;  it  is  now  nearly  two 
months,  and  I  seem  to  have  made  very  little  progress  toward 
his  liberation;  affairs  have  come  to  a  dead  lock.  The  only 
answer  I  get  from  the  general  is  that  it  is  an  affair  of  police. 
I  am  determined  to  go  to  the  questor  and  ask  his  advice. 
A  messenger  must  be  found,  and  as  I  hear  the  questor  is  an 
extremely  clever,  kind  man,  he  may  perhaps  find  some  means 
of  helping  me. 

July  17.  I  went  to  the  questor,  who  advised  me  to  go 
myself  to  Salerno,  and  try  and  find  out  the  brother  of  Man- 
zo,  and  bribe  him  to  go  again.  The  questor  will  send  a  de- 
tective with  me  ;  but,  for  better  security,  the  man  is  to  hold 
no  communication  with  me.  I  am  not  even  to  know  who 
he  is.  I  am  simply  to  let  the  questor  know  by  what  train  I 
go.  The  detective  is  never  to  lose  sight  of  me ;  and  if  I 
prevail  on  Manzo's  brother  to  take  my  letter,  I  am  to  drop 


214  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

a  handkerchief  from  my  window  at  a  certain  hour.  The  de- 
tective will  then  attach  himself  to  the  messenger,  and  follow 
him  every  where,  and  thus  find  out  the  channel  of  communi- 
cation. 

On  the  18th  I  started  accordingly  for  Salerno,  accompa- 
nied by  a  kind  friend,  Mrs.  T ,  an  English  lady,  whose 

acquaintance  I  made  at  the  pension.  We  left  Naples  in  the 
evening,  to  avoid  the  extreme  heat. 

Mrs.  T 's  quick  eyes  soon  found  out  our  detective,  a 

man  dressed  as  an  Italian  peasant.  We  noticed  the  same 
man  lounging  at  the  door  of  the  hotel  at  Salerno ;  and  when 
we  took  a  walk  the  next  day,  he  followed  us.  In  fact,  the 
"  secret"  scheme  was  carried  out  in  so  open  and  transparent 
a  manner,  that  one  evening,  in  the  dark,  we  called  the  man 
behind  a  cart,  and  told  him  every  one  would  certainly  sus- 
pect him  if  he  thus  dogged  our  footsteps,  and  we  arranged 
that  he  should  only  take  his  station  before  the  hotel  at  cer- 
tain hours  after  sunset,  when  we  would  communicate  with 
him,  if  we  wished  it. 

I  sent  for  Manzo's  brother,  who  is  an  employe  on  the  rail- 
way, and  bears  a  fair  character.  He  is  a  young  man  with 
a  plain  countenance.  I  felt  very  much  on  seeing  the  broth- 
er of  the  man  who  had  caused  all  my  grief,  and  I  implored 
him  with  tears  to  take  a  letter  to  my  husband,  offering  him 
fifty  pounds  if  he  would  do  so ;  but  neither  tears,  entreaties, 
nor  bribes  could  prevail  on  him  to  go.  It  certainly  would 
have  been  risking  his  life,  for,  if  discovered  taking  a  message 
to  the  band,  he  would,  as  I  have  already  said,  have  been  shot 
on  the  spot.  We  could  find  no  one  willing  to  risk  his  life ; 
and  all  that  came  of  our  magnificent  plan  was  the  imprison- 
ment of  the  poor  detective  by  his  brother  police-officers, 
who  arrested  him  as  a  suspicious  character ! 

Finding  I  could  do  nothing  at  Salerno,  I  returned  to  Na- 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moejis,  June  18  to  July  31.       215 

pies,  and  had  another  interview  with  the  questor,  who  al- 
ways treated  me  with  the  utmost  kindness,  and  put  aside 
all  other  business  to  listen  to  mine,  though  both  his  large 
ante-rooms  were  crowded  with  people  of  all  ranks  waiting 
to  see  him ;  police  emissaries  and  telegrams  arriving  and 
departing  at  every  moment,  and  a  continuous  stream  of  ap- 
plicants pouring  up  and  down  the  broad  staircase  of  his 
palazzo.  Whenever  I  sent  in  my  card  I  was  admitted,  and 
listened  to  with  the  greatest  patience.  He  now  suggest- 
ed sending  emissaries  to  Rome,  to  do  all  that  was  possible 
there.     They  were  sent,  but  this  plan  failed,  like  the  rest. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  before  I  left  Salerno  I  was  told  that  a 
rich  proprietor  had  offered  to  show  the  place  where  the  brig- 
ands passed  through  his  grounds,  and  to  allow  the  troops  to 
lie  in  ambush  for  them  there ;  but,  unfortunately,  this  gentle- 
man's servant  having  quarreled  with  the  troops,  he  refused 
to  assist  the  latter  in  any  way.  Afterward  the  troops,  when 
searching  at  the  spot,  found  scraps  of  paper  with  English 
upon  them,  torn  up  by  my  husband  but  a  short  time  before. 

"When  at  Salerno,  on  the  19th  of  July,  I  was  summoned  to 
Naples  by  telegraph,  and  started  off,  hoping  and  praying  for 
good  news ;  but  when  I  arrived,  overcome  by  the  intense 
heat  and  excitement,  it  was  a  cruel  disappointment  to  find 
that  it  was  only  to  write  another  of  the  many  useless  letters 
I  had  already  sent  to  the  captain  of  the  band.  During  the 
next  week  I  suffered  terribly  from  constant  anxiety,  till  at 
last,  on  the  2 2d,  I  became  so  ill  that  my  friends  advised  im- 
mediate change  of  air,  and  I  accepted  the  invitation  of  my 

kind  friend,  Mrs.  T ,  to  stay  with  her  at  Ischia.     So  we 

embarked  together  on  the  little  wretched  steamer  that  runs 
once  a  day  between  Naples  and  Ischia,  across  the  bay.  It 
was  crowded  with  people,  nearly  all  of  them  peasants ;  the 
sea  was  very  rough,  and  every  one  was  ill.    The  manner  of 


216  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

Italian  peasants  under  these  circumstances  is  sufficient  of  it- 
self to  cause  illness  in  an  Englishwoman ;  and  when  I  made 
complaint  to  the  captain,  he  gave  me  a  very  vague  answer, 
remarking  that  the  Neapolitans  were  a  dirty  people,  because 
they  never  traveled,  whereas  the  English,  on  the  contrary, 
were  always  traveling,  and  that  thus  their  manners  were 
improved ! 

After  three  hours  on  the  sea,  we  arrived  at  the  lovely  lit- 
tle island  of  Ischia.    The  fishermen's  wives  and  children  ran 

out  of  their  cottages  to  welcome  my  friend  Mrs.T back 

to  her  island ;  we  were  escorted  to  her  house  by  them,  all 
their  faces  beaming  welcome.  The  house  was  beautifully 
situated  on  rising  ground,  with  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
sea  and  the  Bay  of  Lacco.  I  was  never  tired  of  walking  on 
the  roof  of  the  house,  to  look  at  the  beautiful  panorama  be- 
fore me  ;  I  could  see  the  Bay  of  Naples,  Mount  Vesuvius, 
the  coast  beyond  the  island  of  Procida,  with  its  large  white 
castle,  and  the  Isle  of  Capri. 

No  words  can  describe  the  beauties  of  Ischia ;  it  is  such  a 
lovely  little  island,  and  contains  no  brigands !  I  could  enjoy 
long  rambles  in  the  country,  without  the  unpleasant  feeling 
that  men  were  watching  me  to  carry  me  off  for  ransom.  In 
the  centre  of  the  island  is  a  very  finely-shaped  mountain 
— Monte  Epomeo  —  whose  sides  are  covered  with  chestnut 
groves,  vineyards,  and  tomato  fields.     I  had  a  long  walk 

with  Mrs.  T 's  children  through  vineyards  reminding  me 

of  our  hop-gardens.  We  were  allowed  to  pick  the  bunch- 
es of  grapes,  as  the  owner  of  the  fields  was  with  us.  They 
hung  temptingly  over  our  heads,  and  it  was  a  curious  sight 
to  an  English  eye  to  see  the  immense  profusion  of  a  fruit 
which  in  England  is  rare  enough  to  be  considered  a  luxury. 
If  any  one  wishes  to  enjoy  fruit,  and.  scenery,  and  climate, 
he  should  visit  Ischia  in  September  or  October.  October 
is  the  time  of  the  vintage,  and  the  weather  then  is  not  too 


Diary  of  Mrs.  3foens,  June  18  to  July  31.       21V 

hot  for  walking  expeditions.  Even  in  the  hottest  season,  how- 
ever, the  air  is  constantly  refreshed  by  the  cool  sea-breezes. 

On  the  28th  I  was  summoned  again  to  Naples  by  tele- 
gram ;  I  had  first  to  embark  from  Lacco  in  a  little  boat  to 
catch  the  steamer  which  starts  from  Casamicciola.  My  kind 
friends  put  me  under  the  care  of  a  poor  woman  going  to 
Naples  to  see  her  husband,  who  had  been  in  prison  there 
for  seven  months,  waiting  to  be  tried  for  an  offense  of  which 
every  one  considered  him  innocent. 

The  poor  woman  told  me  her  husband's  story.  Each 
fisherman  is  obliged  to  have  a  document  from  government 
authorizing  him  to  carry  on  his  trade.  "When  the  new  gov- 
ernment was  established,  the  old  documents  or  "  books,"  as 
they  are  called,  were  called  in,  and  new  ones  given  out. 
Singi,  my  companion's  husband,  applied  to  the  syndic  of  his 
village  for  his  book.  This  syndic,  a  very  bad  man,  obtained 
it  easily  from  the  maritime  consul,  with  a  clause  in  it  stating 
that  as  Singi  was  a  married  man  with  children,  he  was  ex- 
empt from  military  service ;  but  before  he  would  give  the 
book  to  Singi,  he  demanded  an  exorbitant  sum,  which  the 
poor  man  was  unable  to  pay.  The  syndic  then  sold  the 
book  for  150  lire;  and  Singi,  having  no  book,  was  thrown 
into  prison  on  the  charge  of  selling  it,  and  had  been  there  for 
seven  months,  leaving  his  family  without  any  means  of  sup- 
port. The  poor  woman  was  taking  some  little  present  for 
her  husband,  and  had  in  her  arms  a  dying  babe,  yet  she  was 
happier  than  I  was,  for  she  knew  that  her  husband  was  living, 
and  where  he  was,  and  was  permitted  to  visit  him,  whereas 
I  did  not  know  whether  my  husband  was  alive  or  dead,  and 
I  was  beginning  to  lose  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  him  again. 
She  cried  bitterly  as  she  told  her  sad  story,  and  I  could  not 
help  mingling  my  tears  with  hers. 

My  visit  to  Naples  was  a  fruitless  one ;   there  was  no 

K 


218  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

news  of  my  husband,  nothing  could  be  done,  and  I  returned 
to  Ischia.  I  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  fact,  which  I 
was  assured  of  on  all  sides,  that  the  great  reason  why  no  one 
will  betray  the  brigands  is  fear  of  the  consequences  to  the 
informer. 

All  over  Southern  Italy  thus  the  vendetta  holds  sway, 
and  fear  of  suffering  from  the  revenge  of  the  malefactors' 
relatives  completely  paralyzes  the  hands  of  justice.  I 
heard  a  story  in  the  island  which  strongly  illustrates  this. 
A  poor  woman  living  alone,  with  only  a  little  dog  as  a  com- 
panion, one  day  cut  some  grass  for  her  goat  from  a  neigh- 
bor's field.  The  man  was  angry ;  they  quarreled  at  last ; 
he  stabbed,  but  did  not  kill  her.  Fearful  of  the  conse- 
quences, he  dragged  her  shrieking  through  three  or  four 
fields  to  a  precipice,  down  which  he  threw  her ;  he  then 
took  a  circuitous  route  of  two  or  three  miles  to  the  foot 
of  the  precipice,  and  finding  her  still  breathing,  he  literally 
crushed  her  with  an  enormous  stone ;  he  then  dug  a  hole 
and  buried  her,  and  covered  the  place  with  branches  of 
trees.  The  poor  creature  was  missed  ;  two  or  three  women 
had  heard  her  shrieks,  and  had  seen  her  dragged  through  the 
fields,  but  no  one  tried  to  save  her — no  one  would  breathe 
a  word  as  to  what  they  had  seen,  and  her  relatives  sought 
for  her  in  vain.  One  day  her  brother,  with  her  little  dog, 
was  walking  near  her  grave,  when  the  animal  whined, 
howled,  and  refused  to  go  on.  The  brother  tried  to  force 
him  to  follow,  but  in  vain ;  the  dog  stood  howling  at  a  par- 
ticular spot.  This  excited  the  man's  curiosity;  he  pulled 
aside  the  branches,  saw  that  the  earth  had  been  newly 
turned,  dug  it  up,  and  discovered  the  dead  body  of  his  sis- 
ter. No  one  would  give  evidence  against  the  murderer  for 
fear  of  the  vengeance  of  his  relatives,  and  he  still  walks 
about  unpunished  in  Ischia !  This  murder  was  committed 
onlv  a  few  weeks  before  I  visited  the  island. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30.  219 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Diary  op  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30. 

On  the  Move  again. — Without  excess  of  Luggage. — The  depot  of  Provi- 
sions.— We  join  Cerino's  Band  again. — Effect  of  the  Arrival  of  H.  M. 
S.  Magicienne  on  the  Amount  of  the  Ransom. — A  new  Hat. — "Brig- 
ands supplied"  hy  London  Hatters. — The  Charcoal-burners. — The 
Troops  again  in  Sight.' — Sheep-stealing. — Meat  once  a  Fortnight. — 
Scope's  Treatment  of  me. — Pavone's  History. — Generoso  at  Death's 
Door. — Cold. — I  have  to  Write  more  terrible  Letters. — I  am  left  with 
Eight  or  Ten  of  the  Band. — Harsh  Treatment. — Tantalizing  View. — 
Wine  and  Rosolio. — I  become  very  111. — Andrea's  Heart  softens. — Let- 
ters from  my  Friends,  but  no  more  Money. — My  Ears  in  Danger. — I 
am  made  to  Write  again. — Cerino's  Band  go  off  with  the  Letters. 

On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  June  we  were  startled  by 
hearing  signals  from  the  mountains  above,  and  we  immedi- 
ately got  ready  to  join  the  new-comers  ;  they  proved  to  be 
three  of  the  band  from  Manzo,  who  had  been  sent  to  tell 
us  that  there  was  a  large  increase  of  troops  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  that  we  were  to  join  him  without  a  moment's 
delay :  this  was  very  provoking,  for  a  supply  of  bacon,  fruit, 
and  wine,  together  with  several  shirts,  and  among  them  my 
only  change,  which  had  been  "sent  to  the  wash,"  were  to 
arrive  this  very  night ;  but  there  was  no  disobeying  the 
orders,  and  I  never  saw  my  garment  again. 

After  the  long  rest  of  a  fortnight,  without  the  slightest 
exercise,  and  always  lying  on  the  ground,  I  found  the  great- 
est difficulty  for  the  first  half  hour  in  keeping  up  with  my 
companions.    The  road  lay  up  hill,  through  the  thickest 


220         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

underwood,  and  at  times  I  was  perfectly  unable  to  go  on 
from  utter  want  of  breath.  Lorenzo,  who  usually  treated  me 
well,  was  very  savage  from  the  loss  of  the  expected  clean 
shirts  and  the  provisions ;  for  when  a  peasant  is  commis- 
sioned to  get  any  thing,  he  always  insists  on  being  paid 
first  at  exorbitant  prices,  a  ducat  for  two  rotoli  of  bread — 
about  sixpennyworth — and  every  thing  else  in  proportion. 
Twenty  Napoleons  had  been  left  with  him  for  our  expenses; 
these  and  fifteen  more  had  been  spent  for  the  expenses  of 
about  six  men  in  a  fortnight ;  this  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
rate  at  which  these  men  live.  At  least  four  fifths  of  all  the 
money  that  is  extorted  from  their  captives  goes  to  the 
peasants,  and  the  other  fifth  is  spent  in  the  shops  in  the 
towns.  No  wonder  all  the  peasants  encourage  brigandage 
and  cry  up  the  cause  of  Francis  II.,  imagining  that  the  brig- 
ands fight  for  him,  because  they  are  pursued  and  hunted 
down  by  the  soldiers  of  Victor  Emmanuel.  Nothing  will 
stop  the  system  but  levying  the  ransoms  on  the  districts 
where  the  captures  take  place. 

When  we  came  to  the  store-house,  we  found  several  more 
of  the  band,  who  immediately  attacked  the  two  sacks  of 
bread  we  had  collected.  Justi  told  me  to  put  some  in  my 
pocket,  for  I  had  a  very  long  walk  before  me,  and  the  band 
we  were  to  join  would  have  nothing  with  them.  Scope  was 
in  a  great  rage  at  my  pocketing  any  thing,  but  some  of  the 
others  took  my  part,  and  I  was  able  to  retain  my  spoil. 

I  had  now  regained  my  powers  of  walking ;  after  some 
hours  we  gained  the  top  of  the  hill,  walking  in  the  moonlight 
by  the  side  of  the  noisy  stream,  with  waterfalls  in  many 
places.  On  our  left  rose  high  mountains  clothed  with  wood, 
and  on  the  right  there  were  two  ridges  of  unequal  height, 
covered  with  the  same  bright  green,  while  in  front  rose 
towering  mountains,  with  tops  of  all  conceivable  shapes.     I 


Diary  of  Mr.  Jfoens,  June  21  to  30.  221 

felt  well  and  strong,  and  if  I  ever  enjoyed  any  walk  while 
under  restraint,  it  certainly  was  this  night's  tramp. 

"When  we  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  pass,  instead  of  turn- 
ing to  the  left  as  we  did  before,  we  went  straight  on,  de- 
scending the  mountain  through  dense  forests,  till  at  last  we 
came  to  an  open  space  where  the  charcoal-burners  were 
hard  at  work,  the  ground  being  strewed  with  chips  of  wood. 
All  at  once  we  fell  in  with  Pepino  and  his  band,  who  looked 
most  miserable,  having  met  with  a  disgrazia,  as  they  termed 
it.  The  very  day  after  they  had  left  the  mountain,  where 
Visconti  had  been  set  free,  the  soldiers  had  discovered  their 
resting-place,  and  they  had  to  take  to  their  heels,  leaving  be- 
hind them  all  their  belongings — two  new  camp-kettles,  the 
leathern  flasks  that  I  had  so  often  drunk  out  of,  and  all  their 
ecq)Otes,  among  them  the  two  splendid  ones  of  fine  blue  cloth 
belonging  to  Pepino  and  Doniella,  while  on  Pepino's  was 
buttoned  the  capiice  that  he  had  snatched  off  my  head.  I 
told  him  that  it  was  a  judgment  on  him  for  having  robbed 
me,  at  which  all  round  laughed  most  heartily.  They  had 
fared  most  miserably  ever  since;  they  greeted  me,  however, 
in  a  cheerful  way,  being  glad  to  see  me  well,  for  all  expected 
that  somehow  or  other  the  Inglese  would  find  the  money 
that  they  demanded. 

The  coming  of  the  man-of-war  to  Salerno,  and  the  number 
of  troops  that  were  looking  after  us,  made  them  naturally 
think  that  Mr.  Aynsley  and  I  were  of  importance,  and  noth- 
ing that  was  said  or  written  to  them  could  upset  their  idea 
that  we  were  the  joyful  possessors  of  two  million  ducats. 
One  of  them  was  sent  off  to  Manzo,  who,  with  some  of  the 
others,  were  sitting  near  a  fire  in  a  hollow  where  it  could 
not  be  seen.  Immediately  after  this  Manzo  came  up  and 
took  my  wide-awake  off  my  head,  replacing  it  by  the  one 
that  was  on  his  head ;  this  rather  disturbed  my  peace  of 


222         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

mind,  for  I  thought  of  the  new  family  that  would  in  all 
probability  be  introduced  to  the  one  that  had  already  taken 
possession  of  me.  He  told  me  he  did  not  consider  the  hat 
I  had  been  wearing  suitable  to  a  person  of  my  distinction, 
and  that  he  had  got  one  of  the  best  that  could  be  found  in 
Naples  specially  for  me,  at  the  cost  of  a  Napoleon.  It 
certainly  was  a  very  good  one,  of  a  brown  color,  with  a 
tall  crown  and  wide  brim ;  one  of  the  band  doubled  in  the 
crown,  pressing  in  each  side  with  his  hands,  and  then  gave 
it  me  back,  telling  me  that  that  was  the  way  signori  always 
wore  them.  I  looked  at  the  label  inside,  and,  to  my  aston- 
ishment, found  that  it  had  been  made  by  Christy,  the  cele- 
brated hatter  in  Gracechurch  Street,  London,  whose  estab- 
lishment I  always  visit  when  in  want  of  a  covering  for  my 
head  at  home.  I  told  the  brigands  that  it  was  un  cappello 
Inglese  del  mio  proprio  cappellaio :  this  amused  them  im- 
mensely, and  they  all  came  one  by  one  to  compliment  me  on 
my  improved  appearance.  One  of  them  lent  me  his  little 
looking-glass,  in  order  that  I  might "  admire  myself,"  as  he 
expressed  it. 

It  was  now  about  nine  o'clock ;  but  when  I  inquired 
where  we  were  to  stop  for  the  night,  I  was  told  that  molto 
cammino  was  in  store  for  me,  and  that  we  were  to  walk  all 
night.  A  short  time  after  starting  again  we  came  to  where 
the  charcoal-burners  were  engaged  in  their  occupation. 
There  were  several  enormous  round  piles  of  wood,  covered 
with  damp  earth  firmly  beaten  down.  From  fissures  in  the 
piles  a  suffocating  smoke  was  issuing,  and  the  ground  on 
the  lower  side  was  quite  soppy  with  the  wood  spirit  and 
tarry  matter  that  was  running  from  them.  A  little  way 
off  were  the  wood  huts  of  the  carbonari,  which  are  con- 
structed of  straight  pieces  of  wood  stuck  in  the  ground  and 
then  bent  to  a  point  at  the  top,  a  span  being  left  for  an  en- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  June  21  to  30.  223 

trance.  There  seemed  to  be  two  or  three  men  in  each  hut, 
which  were  all  visited  in  succession,  in  order  that  all  pro- 
visions that  could  be  spared  might  be  taken.  "We  finished 
all  their  water,  the  wooden  barrels  being  passed  from  one 
to  the  other,  and  the  water  drunk  through  the  bung-holes. 
I  was  always  obliged  to  get  as  much  down  my  throat  as  I 
could  in  as  short  a  space  of  time  as  possible,  for  they  always 
took  the  barrel  away  from  me  in  a  moment. 

In  the  entrance  of  each  hut  was  a  large  wood  fire,  in  the 
embers  of  which  the  inmates  were  just  about  making  pizza, 
that  is,  a  mixture  of  Indian-corn  meal  and  water,  baked  for 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Manzo  bargained  for  this  and 
one  of  the  water-barrels,  giving  for  them  half  a  Napoleon. 
I  was  taken  to  a  little  distance  off  while  the  pizza  was  being 
made,  and  managed  to  get  a  little  sleep ;  but  we  were  soon 
marching  along  again  in  single  file,  the  line  extending  a 
considerable  distance.  We  kept  ascending  all  night  in  a 
northerly  direction,  and  toward  the  morning  arrived  at  a 
large  tract  of  level  land  near  the  top  of  the  mountain.  It 
was  a  great  treat,  walking  on  the  smooth  tm-f,  after  having 
had  to  force  our  way  through  the  lower  branches  of  the 
trees,  in  the  dense  woods  with  which  nearly  all  these  mount- 
ains are  covered.  The  brigands  were  all  very  tired,  for  we 
had  been  walking  since  seven  o'clock,  up  hill  nearly  all  the 
time.  I  always  found  that  I  could  keep  it  up  for  a  num- 
ber of  hours  with  less  fatigue  than  they  could,  while  they, 
on  the  other  hand,  were  quicker  and  more  agile  for  a  short 
time,  especially  on  the  rough  ground.  Our  halting-place 
was  in  the  midst  of  some  high  heather,  afactione  was  called, 
sentinels  set,  and  we  were  all  asleep  in  a  short  time. 

About  midday  the  troops  were  seen  on  the  top  of  a 
mountain  not  more  than  a  mile  off,  and  we  had  to  hide  close 
in  some  clumps  of  trees.     To  my  disgust,  I  discovered  on 


224         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  ground,  in  a  place  where  Manzo  had  been  sitting,  sev- 
eral scraps  of  paper  that  had  been  torn  up,  that  had  formed 
part  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Aynsley;  but  I  could  not  make 
any  thing  of  it.  They  had  been  busy  making  cartridges, 
and  his  letter  had  gone  in  this  way ;  it  was  most  provoking 
to  think  that  the  wretches  had  received  letters  for  me  which 
they  had  not  given  me,  but  I  suppose  that  it  having  been 
written  in  English  was  the  cause. 

We  could  not  remain  here  because  of  the  troops,  so  two 
hours  before  sunset  we  descended  the  mountain  through 
the  woods,  and  when  it  was  dark,  crossed  over  the  culti- 
vated valley  to  the  mountains  opposite.  We  walked  through 
the  growing  crops  till  we  came  to  a  stream,  where  we  all 
slaked  our  thirst.  Here,  to  the  amusement  of  all,  old  Sen- 
tonio  fell  down  into  the  water.  We  now  passed  along  a 
good  mule-road,  and  then  began  to  ascend  the  terraces  of 
earth  to  higher  ground,  without  having  seen  a  house  or  hu- 
man being.  Great  caution  was  exercised ;  notwithstand- 
ing some  of  the  band  being  always  in  advance,  I  was  kept 
in  the  rear,  as  usual,  with  only  three  or  four  behind  me. 
At  last,  toward  twelve  o'clock,  we  got  into  the  woods 
again,  and  at  about  two  came  to  a  suitable  place,  where  we 
stopped  till  the  next  morning.  Some  of  the  band  had  been 
left  in  the  plain  to  look  after  food,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  two  peasants  came  up  with  bread  and  a  quantity  of 
cherries.  During  the  day  we  heard  the  tingling  of  the 
sheep-bells,  but  could  not  at  first  see  the  flock.  At  last  I 
pointed  it  out  to  them,  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  near 
the  place  we  had  come  from,  and  it  was  determined  to  send 
over  to  get  two  sheep  in  the  evening.  Justi  and  four  oth- 
ers started  off,  and  returned  toward  the  morning  with  the 
carcasses  of  the  sheep  hanging  on  their  backs ;  they  report- 
ed that  they  had  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  them,  there 


Diary  of  Mr.Moens^  June  21  to  30.  225 

having  been  no  less  than  twelve  persons  at  the  place  where 
the  sheep  were  collected  for  the  night,  and  these  had  stout- 
ly refused  to  let  the  brigands  have  any ;  but  Justi  and  the 
others  pointed  their  guns  at  them,  and  threatened  to  shoot 
them  all  unless  two  were  killed  immediately,  and  of  course 
they  got  their  way.  They  were  cooked  at  once,  and  I  en- 
joyed the  change  of  diet  very  much,  for  I  had  not  tasted 
meat  for  more  than  a  fortnight.  A  hatchet  was  also  ob- 
tained from  the  shepherds,  but  during  the  day  there  was  a 
dispute  about  the  price  paid  for  it,  and  Rocco,  in  a  rage, 
took  it  up,  and,  after  trying  to  break  it  against  a  stone, 
which  he  struck  several  times  as  hard  as  he  could,  threw  it 
some  distance  into  the  thick  underwood,  where  they  were 
unable  to  find  it. 

It  was  a  noisy  day,  for  gambling  produced  the  usual 
quarrels,  and  toward  the  afternoon  one  of  the  band  let  his 
gun  off  by  accident ;  the  captain  was  always  in  a  great 
rage  at  this,  and  no  wonder,  for  it  was  nearly  sure  to  bring 
the  troops. 

In  the  morning  we  started  again,  spending  several  hours 
in  ascending  the  mountain,  and  at  last  came  to  a  terrace 
near  the  top,  with  several  caves ;  we  halted  here  for  some 
time,  I  enjoying  the  view  toward  the  west,  being  able  to 
see  the  whole  province  with  the  sea  behind  it.  All  at  once 
I  was  amazed  at  seeing  all  the  band  go  mad,  as  I  thought ; 
their  game  seemed  to  be  that  all  should  vie,  one  with  the 
other,  who  could  roll  the  largest  piece  of  rock  over  the 
edge,  so  that  they  might  go  crashing  down  the  mountain 
side.  This  was  done  as  a  signal  to  those  left  foraging  in 
the  plain ;  we  could  hear  the  rocks  rolling  down  far  below 
us,  making  a  great  noise ;  it  had  the  desired  effect,  for  in  an 
hour  or  two  the  party  below  came  up,  but  with  their  pock- 
ets empty.     We  slept  here  half  the  night,  and  then  contin- 

K  2 


226  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

ued  our  course,  passing  along  the  narrowest  ledges  round 
the  shoulder  of  the  mountain  ;  we  now  came  to  a  large  lev- 
el tract  of  grass-land  studded  with  clumps  of  trees. 

It  was  quite  light  enough  to  enjoy  the  English  park-like 
scenery,  with  the  bare  rocks  at  the  top  of  the  mountain 
rising  in  front.  The  glades  were  of  the  finest  short  grass, 
with  a  quantity  of  a  pretty  yellow  flower  growing  abund- 
antly. We  passed  some  baraque  recently  made,  which 
much  annoyed  the  captain,  and  a  halt  was  called  while  a 
council  was  held,  and  the  ground  examined  for  the  foot- 
prints of  the  soldiers.  We  were  on  Monte  Marano,  the 
highest  mountain  of  the  province,  and  had  expected  to  find 
it  quite  safe  and  free  from  the  soldiers.  I  told  them  that  it 
was  now  all  the  safer,  for  if  the  forces  had  passed  them  re- 
cently it  would  be  some  time  before  they  came  again. 
They  rather  agreed  with  me,  but  I  was  told  to  be  silent, 
and  not  to  listen  to  their  talk.  I  told  them  it  amused  me ; 
but  as  they  talked  such  bad  Italian,  I  could  not  make  much 
of  it.  On  we  went  again,  and  at  about  seven  o'clock  ar- 
rived at  a  place  surrounded  by  very  high  trees,  and  the 
ground  was  very  wet,  but  down  I  was  made  to  lie  all  the 
same.  A  fire  was  soon  blazing,  for  it  was  intensely  cold  at 
the  great  height  at  which  we  were.  Two  were  sent  off  at 
once  to  get  some  water  from  a  fountain  higher  up  the 
mountain,  and  sentinels  set  in  every  direction. 

June  23.  In  about  two  hours  the  captain  ordered  a 
change  of  place,  and  we  retraced  our  steps,  crossing  the 
tracks  made  by  dragging  the  timber  along  through  the 
woods ;  we  then  passed  over  another  dry  "  nullah,"  and  re- 
tired to  a  corner  of  a  glade  from  whence  the  track  was  vis- 
ible. Sentinels  were  set,  one  being  sent  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
off  where  he  could  view  the  country  in  another  direction.  I 
was  sent  off  (under  the  charge  of  Pavone  and  that  demon 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30.  227 

Scope,  who  always  ill-treated  me)  to  some  rising  ground 
about  two  hundred  yards  off,  so  that,  should  there  be  any 
danger,  I  might  be  hurried  off  while  the  main  part  of  the 
band  covered  our  retreat.  I  had  not  been  here  long  before 
the  tinkling  of  bells  told  us  that  a  flock  of  sheep  was  ap- 
proaching, and  a  detachment  was  sent  off  in  order  to  secure 
some  mutton.  They  returned  in  about  half  an  hour,  bring- 
ing the  shepherds  with  them,  who  were  very  unwilling  to 
part  with  their  sheep,  because  there  was  a  report  that  sev- 
eral shepherds  had  been  put  into  prison  for  having  let  the 
bi'igands  take  their  sheep.  But  what  can  these  men  do  ? 
If  they  will  not  sell  their  sheep,  they  are  soon  taken  from 
them ;  and  should  the  shepherds  give  any  information,  their 
unprotected  position  makes  them  to  be  easy  victims  to  the 
vengeance  of  the  brigands. 

Manzo  was  unwilling  to  make  these  men  enemies,  for  it 
was  a  new  part  of  the  country,  and  he  intended  stopping 
here  some  time.  He  said  he  was  willing  to  pay  a  fair  pi-ice, 
but  all  grumbled  when  they  found  that  thirty-five  ducats 
was  demanded  for  three  sheep.  This  was  very  nearly  £2 
a-head,  but  the  shepherds  would  not  let  them  go  for  less,  for 
they  were  of  a  peculiar  large  breed,  and  much  valued.  The 
flock  passed  close  to  where  I  was  lying,  but  the  shepherds 
were  made  to  go  round,  so  that  I  could  not  see  them.  Two 
of  the  sheep  were  immediately  killed  and  put  into  the  pot, 
and  within  an  hour  the  meat  was  turned  out  cooked.  It 
was  very  tantalizing  to  see  them  all  eating  the  best  parts, 
while  we  were  left  without  any.  At  last  Scope  went  to  get 
some,  and  he  returned,  carrying  in  his  hands  what  was  sup- 
posed to  be  our  share — that  was,  for  me,  Pavone,  and  him- 
self; but  when  it  came,  Pavone  and  I  became  indignant, 
there  being  hardly  a  mouthful  apiece.  I  had  seen  the  greedy 
wretch  eating  as  fast  as  he  could  on  his  way  to  us.     Pavone 


228  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

would  not  stand  this,  and  when  the  second  sheep  was  ready, 
he  told  me  to  come  with  him  to  the  fire ;  but  Manzo  in  an 
angry  tone  told  him  to  take  me  back ;  he  remained,  and  two 
others  marched  me  back  to  my  old  place.  The  same  trick 
was  repeated  when  food  was  brought  again  to  us ;  experi- 
ence had,  however,  taught  me  by  this  time  that  there  was  no 
use  in  grumbling,  so  I  ate  what  I  could  get  with  thankfulness. 

I  was  very  ill  all  this  day,  and,  to  improve  matters,  it 
turned  out  a  pouring  wet  day.  As  soon  as  it  began  to  rain 
Pavone  came  up  for  half  of  my  capote.  Scope  wanted  to 
come  under  it  too,  but  I  was  very  firm  on  this  point,  and 
told  him  that  Pavone  was  one  too  many,  and  that  the  cap- 
tain had  given  me  the  cloak  for  myself.  While  sitting  to- 
gether, Pavone  told  me  that  as  soon  as  my  money  was  paid 
he  meant  to  present  himself — that  is,  to  give  himself  up  to 
justice — and  asked  me  not  to  recognize  him  should  I  see 
him  in  prison.  He  did  not  seem  to  know  that  the  govern- 
ment knew  all  of  them  better  than  I  did.  He  told  me  that 
his  wife  and  children  had  been  in  prison  all  the  time  he  had 
been  a  brigand,  this  being  the  custom,  and  a  very  good  one 
too,  of  the  Italian  authorities,  and  that  they  would  be  re- 
leased directly  he  gave  himself  up. 

He  also  told  me  his  history.  He  had  been  an  agricultural 
laborer,  and  having  committed  murder  (or  homicide  as  he 
called  it)  during  the  reign  of  Francis  II.,  he  had  been  put 
in  prison  for  three  years.  Soon  after  being  released  he  re- 
peated the  same  crime  and  took  to  the  woods.  He  showed 
me  the  weapon  which  he  had  used  on  both  occasions — a 
stiletto,  the  blade  of  which  was  about  six  inches  long ;  he 
had  a  superstitious  reverence  for  it,  and  was  quite  uneasy 
whenever  it  was  out  of  his  hands.  I  used  all  my  persuasive 
powers  to  induce  him  to  aid  my  escape,  in  which  case  I 
promised  to  give  him  2000  ducats,  and  to  get  a  free  pardon 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30.  220 

for  him ;  but  he  was  afraid  of  Manzo's  vengeance  against 
members  of  his  family,  all  of  whom  would  be  murdered  on 
the  first  opportunity.  I  tried  to  work  on  his  feelings  as  a 
husband  and  father,  but  was  as  unsuccessful  with  him  as  I 
afterward  was  with  many  others. 

As  night  came  on,  we  returned  to  where  we  had  stopped 
in  the  morning,  and  an  enormous  fire,  made  in  the  most 
skillful  way,  was  lighted.  The  pile  was  at  least  ten  feet 
high,  and  as  many  in  diameter,  and  round  this  we  laid  our- 
selves on  the  wet  ground,  those  who  had  not  capotes  pick- 
ing branches  of  leaves,  and  after  drying  them  by  the  fire, 
spreading  them  on  the  ground.  A  dreadful  scene  took 
place  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  Suddenly  waking  (for  I 
now  slept  as  lightly  as  any  brigand),  I  saw  Generoso,  who 
was  sleeping  next  to  me,  writhing  in  agony ;  his  hands  were 
clenched  and  lips  drawn  up,  and  he  was  deadly  cold ;  An- 
tonina,  who  was  always  with  him,  was  in  the  greatest  dis- 
tress, appealing  every  moment  to  the  Madonna.  I  soon  saw 
he  was  seized  with  convulsions  of  some  kind,  and  recom- 
mended that  hot  pads  should  be  applied  to  his  person.  He 
was  foaming  at  the  mouth,  and  in  a  short  time  struggled  so 
that  it  took  five  men  to  keep  him  down.  At  last  he  was 
quiet,  but  by  this  time  his  pulse  was  hardly  perceptible,  and 
he  grew  colder  and  colder.  There  was  great  concern  ex- 
hibited for  him,  as  he  was  a  great  favorite,  and  all  thought 
he  was  dying.  I  told  them  to  keep  rubbing  his  limbs,  and, 
not  wishing  to  see  his  last  moments,  turned  away.  I  had 
been  standing  over  him  for  two  or  three  hours,  and,  exhaust- 
ed by  fatigue,  fell  asleep.  When  I  awoke  in  the  morning, 
to  my  great  astonishment,  he  was  all  right  again.  I  asked 
him  how  he  was,  and  he  told  me  that  his  legs  were  rather 
painful  at  the  knee-joints,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  have  any 
recollection  of  the  fit. 


230  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

A  little  more  to  the  north  than  where  we  crossed  the 
valley  yesterday,  I  observed  an  old  mediaeval  castle,  partly 
in  ruins  ;  the  walls  had  inclosed  some  extent  of  land,  all  of 
which  was  now  cultivated  ;  many  of  the  walls  were  covered 
with  ivy,  and  close  by  was  a  modern  small  farm-house. 
Near  this  place  I  noticed  several  peasants  haymaking  :  this 
seemed  managed  in  a  different  manner  to  what  we  do  in 
England.  When  dry,  the  grass  is  all  twisted  up  into  tight 
wisps  —  in  fact,  made  up  into  short  lengths  of  thick  cable 
and  then  stacked  away.  It  struck  me  that  it  was  a  sad 
waste  of  time. 

June  24.  To-day  the  captain  ordered  the  band  to  go  high- 
er up  the  mountain  to  the  fountain,  because  the  shepherds 
had  reported  that  the  troops  had  passed  where  we  now 
were  only  two  days  before,  but  had  not  ascended  higher 
up ;  so  he  considered  that  a  change  would  be  safer  for  us. 
I  was  very  unwell,  and  the  climb  up  much  tired  me ;  but  it 
was  no  use  showing  any  disinclination  to  go  on,  so  I  said 
nothing,  hoping  that  we  should  not  have  to  go  far.  This 
proved  to  be  the  case,  fortunately  for  me ;  and  when  I  was 
told  to  lie  down,  I  sat  on  a  large  block  of  wood,  and  the 
brigands  set  about  collecting  firewood,  for  all  complained 
of  the  great  cold.  To  my  dismay,  Manzo  did  not  allow  me 
to  come  near  the  fire  when  it  was  made,  but  sent  me  off 
again  to  some  little  distance  under  the  charge  off  two  or 
three  of  his  men.  I  had  the  advantage  of  a  magnificent 
view,  with  the  sea  in  the  extreme  distance,  but  this  did  not 
make  up  for  the  want  of  the  fire  which  all  the  others  were 
enjoying.  At  last  Manzo  sent  for  me  to  write  horrible  let- 
ters to  my  wife  and  the  consul,  which  he  dictated ;  he  would 
not  allow  me  to  insert  a  single  word  of  English,  and  still 
persisted  in  asking  for  the  same  sum  as  at  first.  How 
my  heart  always  sank  when,  after  my  entreaties  to  dimin- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30.  231 

ish  the  sum,  he  would  say,  "Write  as  I  say,  50,000  duc- 
ats!"* 

Provisions  now  began  to  flow  in,  two  peasants  having 
brought  up  a  number  of  round  loaves  with  a  large  hole  in 
the  centre.  I  saw  them  through  the  trees  sitting  on  the 
bank  by  the  fountain ;  but  as  soon  as  the  brigands  saw  that 
I  had  noticed  the  strangers,  they  were  removed  to  a  place 
out  of  my  sight.     I  must  now  describe  this  fountain. 

It  was  in  a  lovely  spot,  quite  level,  about  thirty  yards  long 
and  ten  wide,  surrounded  by  beech-trees ;  on  one  side  there 
was  a  sloping  bank  on  which  the  members  of  the  band  were 
extremely  fond  of  lying  basking  in  the  sun.  The  water  is- 
sued from  the  ground  on  the  eastern  end,  and  ran  in  a  little 
stream  which  formed  pools  every  two  or  three  yards,  and 
finally  ran  down  the  incline  of  the  mountain.  "  Forget-me- 
nots"  grew  most  luxuriantly ;  also  violets  and  many  other 
wild  flowers  were  mingled  with  the  short  grass  that  covered 
the  ground.  In  the  afternoon  I  was  allowed  to  go  and  sit 
on  the  bank  in  order  to  enjoy  the  sun  ;  and  a  share  of  some 
delicious  cheese,  only  just  made,  was  given  to  me,  and  also 
a  tiny  piece  of  old  cheese,  which  I  reserved  for  a  time  of 
want.  The  bread  varied  in  every  district,  and  what  we  had 
here  was  far  superior  to  the  dark  and  coarse  loaves  of  oval 
form  which  we  got  when  near  Giffoni. 

When  the  peasants  wished  to  go  away,  I  was  made  to 
cover  my  head  with  a  capote,  so  that  I  might  not  be  able  to 
recognize  them  afterward,  and  then  they  passed  by  me  and 
were  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  woods.  About  two  hours 
before  sunset  Manzo  selected  eight  or  ten  of  the  band  to 
stop  with  me  while  he  went  back  to  Giffoni  to  take  my  let- 
ters and  get  some  more  money  (but  many  a  weary  journey 
had  he  to  perform  before  any  more  was  received,  on  account 
of  the  number  and  vigilance  of  the  soldiers). 

*  See  also  Manzo's  Letter  to  Visoonti,  Appendix  E. 


232  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

Though  already  very  high,  we  went  still  higher  up  the 
mountain,  having  to  pass  many  most  difficult  places.  At 
one  of  these  the  men  ahead  got  separated  from  us,  through 
my  being  unable  to  climb  up  quick  enough.  Those  behind 
were  in  a  great  rage  with  me  when  they  found  their  signals 
unanswered ;  but  Manzo  soon  sent  two  or  three  of  those 
with  him  to  look  for  us.  In  about  half  an  hour  we  arrived 
at  another  of  those  curious  ledges  about  one  thousand  feet 
from  the  extreme  summit  of  the  mountain,  with  about  eight- 
een inches  of  space  to  walk  along,  the  mountain  rising  per- 
pendicularly on  one  side,  and  the  precipice  being  on  the 
other.  I  fortunately  had  rather  strong  nerves,  for  if  I  had 
been  in  the  least  dizzy,  I  must  have  fallen  over.  If  I  hesita- 
ted for  a  moment  a  harsh  cry  of  "  Camminate"  would  be 
raised  by  the  man  behind  me.  Manzo  now  repeated  his 
orders,  which  were  very  precise,  and  provided  for  every 
emergency,  and  then  left  us,  saying  that  he  would  return  in 
six  days. 

I  must  now  describe  my  position :  we  were  on  the  top 
of  the  highest  mountain*  in  the  province  of  Avellino,  to  the 
extreme  northeast  of  that  portion  of  the  Apennines  which 
traverses  the  greater  part  of  that  province  and  that  of  Sa- 
lerno. The  side  we  were  on  faced  the  northwest,  and  look- 
ing that  way  Vesuvius  appeared  a  moderate-sized  isolated 
mountain,  with  a  long  line  of  smoke  drifting  away  from  the 
summit.  Naples  was  not  visible,  Mount  Vesuvius  just  shut- 
ting it  out  from  view ;  but  behind,  the  island  of  Nisida,  and 
the  coast-line  of  the  Bay  of  Naples  near  Baioe,  ending  at  the 
Point  of  Misenum,  were  very  clearly  marked,  and  farther  on 
the  lofty  island  of  Ischia.  The  coast  to  the  north  gradually 
became  indistinct,  till  at  last  it  was  lost  in  the  extreme  dis- 
tance. How  this  view  brought  to  mind  a  happy  day  we 
*  This  mountain,  I  think,  must  have  been  Monte  Marano. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moem,  June  21  to  30.  233 

had  spent  exploring  the  remains  of  antiquity  at  Baire,  and 
our  little  voyage  by  boat  to  Misenura  only  three  days  before 
my  capture !  Nocera  and  the  other  towns  between  Vesuvi- 
us and  Castellamare  were  exceedingly  distinct,  every  house 
being  visible. 

I  remembered  that  I  had  seen  nearly  the  same  view  from 
the  top  of  Mount  Vesuvius  about  five  years  before ;  but 
going  up  a  mountain  for  one's  own  amusement,  as  I  did 
then,  and  being  taken  up  forcibly  against  one's  will,  are  very 
different  things,  especially  when,  in  the  latter  case,  instead 
of  stopping  a  short  hour,  one  knows  for  a  certainty  that  one 
will  have  to  stop  there  six  days,  and  perhaps  longer,  being 
all  that  time  exposed  to  the  cruelly  cold  wind  which  gener- 
ally blows  at  this  elevation.  This  evening  it  blew  from  the 
north,  and  seemed  to  pierce  right  through  me.  I  complain- 
ed of  the  cruelty  of  exposing  me  in  this  manner ;  but,  though 
suffering  bitterly  themselves,  my  captors  had  the  impudence 
to  tell  me  that  it  was  my  own  fault,  and  that  when  the  mon- 
ey was  paid  I  might  go  back  to  my  friends  and  enjoy  the 
comforts  of  a  house !  I  told  them  that  they  would  never  get 
the  50,000  ducats  they  were  always  talking  about;  and  to 
that  they  would  call  out,  in  a  mocking  tone,  "  impossibile, 
impossibile"  those  being  the  words  generally  uttered  by 
an  unfortunate  prisoner  when  they  demand  unconscionable 
sums. 

To-day  was  Sunday :  but 

"The  sound  of  a  church-going  bell 

These  valleys  and  rocks  never  heard  ; 
Never  sighed  at  the  sound  of  a  knell, 
Nor  smiled  when  a  Sabbath  appeared." 

Though  we  were  all  feeling  the  cold  so  much,  we  had  no 
fire  to-night,  being  in  too  exposed  a  position,  and  my  suffer- 
ings in  the  morning  were  most  severe.     The  fine  weather 


234  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

of  last  night  had  gone,  and  with  it  that  lovely  view  ;  in  its 
place  was  nothiug  hut  the  mist  and  clouds  with  which  we 
were  enveloped,  the  wind  driving  them  along  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  Pepino  and  several  others  who  had  slept  by  the 
fountain  joined  us,  bringing  a  good  supply  of  bread,  some 
confetti,  two  terracotta  jars  and  two  caraffe  of  wine,  and 
two  or  three  bottles  of  rosolio,  a  kind  of  strong  liqueur,  and 
a  large  handkerchief  full  of  cherries,  which  had  got  wet  the 
day  before,  and  were  now  in  a  fermented  state ;  but  I  had 
been  so  long  without  vegetable  food  that  I  ate  all  my  share ; 
they  then  drank  a  bottle  of  rosolio,  each  taking  a  little  out 
of  my  leathern  cup. 

I  suffered  terribly  after  this.     I  do  not  know  whether  the 
severe  cold  had  any  thing  to  do  with  it  or  not,  but  for  the 
next  four  days  I  had  a  most  violent  attack  of  diarrhoea,  and 
I  fully  expected  that  the  brigands  would  have  had  to  scoop 
out  a  shallow  hole  to  put  my  body  in.     The  wine  and  spirit 
made  them  rather  merry  to-day,  and  they  played  a  noisy 
game,  thus :  All  stood  in  a  circle,  one  being  chosen  by  lot 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  sentinels  were  selected ;  he  took 
a  bottle  of  rosolio  and  drank  a  little,  and  the  bottle  was 
then  passed  round  from  one  to  the  other,  and  if  the  starter 
made  the  noise  one  does  with  the  tongue  when  driving,  the 
holder  of  the  bottle  was  not  to  drink,  but.  to  pass  it  on  ;  but 
if  he  said  "  esso"  the  lucky  holder  at  that  moment  was  al- 
lowed a  draught.     Of  course  the  expectant  is  often  tanta- 
lized by  a  pause,  and  after  all  is  disappointed.     When  the 
bottle  gets  low,  it  passes  round  and  round  again  without 
any  one  being  allowed  to  drink,  and  the  merriment  is  great. 
Of  course  the  one  who  has  been  allowed  to  drink  then  gives 
the  word  to  the  others.     I  was  asked  to  join,  but  I  was  too 
ill  to  enjoy  the  fun. 

I  thought  of  trying  to  escape  to-day.     I  was  left  alone  a 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  21  to  30.  235 

few  moments,  and  immediately  went  quietly  along  the  ledge 
away  from  the  band,  but  very  leisurely,  as  if  escaping  was 
the  last  thing  I  was  thinking  of;  and  very  fortunately  too, 
as  Giuseppe  and  his  consort  were  some  little  way  off  in  the 
direction  I  was  going.  They  saw  me,  and  immediately 
wanted  to  know  where  I  was  going,  and  I  had  to  make 
some  excuse,  and  those  in  charge  of  me  had  a  good  blow- 
ing up  for  not  looking  better  after  me.  In  the  evening  I 
was  delighted  to  hear  that  they  would  not  sleep  again  in 
such  an  exposed  position,  for  all  had  suffered  severely  from 
the  cold  and  wet,  and  we  went  back  to  the  fountain,  and  a 
large  fire  was  made,  round  which  we  all  slept,  with  our  feet 
toward  the  glowing  embers.  As  soon  as  the  sun  was  up 
we  all  went  to  a  retired  place  to  sun  ourselves,  as  it  was 
dangerous  to  keep  up  a  fire  during  the  day. 

June  27.  A  new  companion  came  to-day;  he  was  a  nice- 
looking  peasant  lad  ;  his  crime,  as  usual,  was  murder,  but  he 
was  as  merry  as  possible,  and  remorse  did  not  seem  to  trou- 
ble him  in  the  least.  The  captain  is  expected  on  Thursday; 
and,  to  my  horror,  I  heard  that  he  has  written  to  the  Pre- 
fect of  Salerno  to  say  that  if  the  money  is  not  sent  up  by 
the  5th  of  July,  my  ears  are  to  be  cut  off  and  sent  to  my 
friends.  I  was  also  told  that  they  had  received  a  letter 
from  the  secretary  of  the  prefect.  I  felt  too  ill  to  care 
about  any  thing,  and  told  them  that  every  thing  was  as  God 
willed,  and  that  they  might  do  what  they  liked  with  me. 

June  28.  I  suffered  agony  all  day,  and  some  pasta  which 
I  ate  made  me  worse.  I  felt  so  miserable  that  at  times  I 
longed  to  die.  I  had  not  heard  from  my  friends  for  nine 
days,  but  I  still  hoped  that  to-morrow  the  captain  would 
come  with  money  and  letters.  Money  !  money  !  if  I  had 
known  that  none  would  come  for  nearly  two  months,  I  do 
not  think  I  could  have  lived.     I  found  a  comfortable  soft 


236         English  Travelers  and  Italian  JBriga)als. 

place  between  the  trunks  of  two  enormous  beeches,  a  few 
yards  from  the  rest  of  the  band,  so  that  I  escaped  hearing 
the  frightful  language  they  constantly  made  use  of.  To 
my  joy,  I  was  allowed  to  remain  in  this  place  ;  but  two  or 
three  never  took  their  eyes  off  me. 

To  amuse  myself,  I  cut  names  in  the  back  of  the  tree,  and 
also  a  large  cross,  I  also  tried  to  cheer  myself  up  with  the 
idea  of  the  captain  coming  to-morrow  with  sufficient  money 
to  induce  them  to  come  down  in  their  demands,  for  I  felt 
sure  that  until  at  least  15,000  ducats  came  they  would  con- 
tinue asking  50,000.  The  reason  I  had  for  this  idea  was 
that  the  original  sum  asked  for  the  two  Viscontis  was  de- 
manded again  and  again  until  they  had  paid  15,000,  and 
then  the  40,000  ducats  was  reduced  to  25,000,  and  I  thought 
it  would  be  much  the  same  in  my  case.  I  could  not  sleep  a 
wink  all  this  night ;  I  felt  so  ill  and  wretched,  and  the  hor- 
rible idea  of  the  5th  of  July  approaching  would  come  into 
my  head.  I  did  not  believe  what  they  had  told  me;  but 
still  it  might  be  the  case,  for  they  have  no  regard  for  any 
one's  feelings :  they  only  think  of  the  most  ready  way  of 
forcing  money  from  the  relatives  of  their  captive. 

It  was  a  fearful  night,  blowing  a  perfect  hurricane,  and 
the  trees  were  all  lashed  into  a  perfect  state  of  fury.  It  did 
not  rain,  but  the  clouds  with  which  we  were  enveloped  kept 
driving  by,  drenching  every  thing.  Pavone  slept  and  snored 
under  the  half  of  my  capote,  and  his  odor  was  very  "  loud" 
and  unpleasant.  The  feeling  of  being  obliged  to  lie  in  such 
close  proximity  to  a  double-dyed  murderer  was  almost  more 
than  I  could  endure,  and  I  am  afraid  that  he  must  have 
found  me  a  most  uncomfortable  bedfellow.  I  kept  hitting 
him  to  stop  his  snoring — rolling  myself  round  and  so  drag- 
ging the  covering  from  him,  and  groaning  from  the  pain  I 
suffered ;  but  I  must  say  that  for  all  that  he  was  most  for- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  28  to  30.  237 

bearing.  He  could  see  that  I  was  very  ill,  and  I  kept  im- 
pressing on  bim  that  I  sbould  be  dead  in  a  few  hours  unless 
a  change  for  the  better  took  place.  He  told  me  that  there 
was  a  chance  of  some  cheese  made  from  cows'  milk  comma- 
up  to-morrow,  and  that  it  would  be  very  good  for  me.  It 
seemed  to  me  a  most  curious  remedy,  and  the  last  thing  in 
the  world  I  should  have  chosen,  but  in  the  end  it  certainly 
did  me  good. 

June  29.  In  the  morning  I  discovered  that  they  had  half 
a  bottle  of  absinthe :  this  was  given  to  me  by  Andrea  the  ex- 
ecutioner, to  my  great  astonishment,  for  he  always  grudged 
me  every  mouthful ;  but  just  now  he  was  suffering  from  an 
attack  of  fever,  and  I  suppose  this  made  him  feel  a  little 
for  me ;  he  told  me  to  keep  the  bottle  in  my  pocket,  so  that 
the  others  might  not  take  it  from  me.  I  put  a  little  into  all 
the  water  I  drank,  and  from  this  time  I  gradually  recovered, 
but  I  was  not  well  for  several  days.  I  am  thankful  to  say 
that  this  was  the  only  serious  attack  of  illness  I  suffered 
from  all  the  weary  days  of  my  detention  ;  at  a  later  date  I 
nearly  died  from  starvation,  but  I  soon  recovered  when  I 
obtained  a  fair  supply  of  food. 

To-day  it  was  very  clear,  all  the  clouds  of  last  night  hav- 
ing blown  away,  and  from  the  place  where  I  was  lying,  all 
that  well-known  view  of  the  plain  of  Salerno,  bounded  on 
the  south  by  the  mountains  beloAv  Paestum,  was  visible.  I 
could  see  the  white  houses  forming  the  village  of  Battipa- 
glia  where  I  was  taken,  but  the  old  temples,  yellow  from 
age,  were  not  to  be  distinguished.  I  had,  however,  no  taste 
for  scenery  just  now,  for  I  could  think  of  nothing  but  the 
coming  of  Manzo,  hoping  that  a  good  sum  of  money  had 
been  sent  to  him.  Minute  by  minute,  hour  by  hour,  the 
clay  passed  by :  how  long  it  appeared  !  at  last  darkness  set 
in,  and  we  retired  to  the  place  where  it  was  possible  to 


238         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

make  a  fire  in  security;  then  another  sleepless  night  was 
passed,  though  I  did  not  suffer  as  I  had  done  the  night  be- 
fore. 

June  30.  About  the  middle  of  the  day  I  was  thrown  into 
the  greatest  state  of  excitement  by  seeing  Manzo  and  Lo- 
renzo quietly  walking  toward  us.  The  captain  said  nothing 
to  me,  but  handed  me  an  Italian-English  Dictionary  I  had 
written  for,  and  in  it  were  two  letters  from  my  wife,  and 
one  in  English  from  Mr.  Richard  Holme.  (This  was  the 
first  I  had  heard  of  this  gentleman,  who  so  nobly  stepped 
forward  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Aynsley  and  myself,  and  who,  at 
the  risk  of  his  life  and  liberty,  went  backward  and  forward 
between  Giffoni  and  Salerno,  carrying  letters  and  money  to 
Signor  Visconti's  house,  to  be  forwarded  to  the  brigands 
for  my  liberation.  Manzo  and  the  others  had  often  told  me 
that  the  secretary  of  the  English  consul  was  at  Giffoni  or 

Salerno,  having  no  doubt  heard  of  Mr.  C and  Mr.  Holme 

being  there  at  different  times,  and  they  might  have  made 
an  attempt  to  pounce  upon  the  money  en  route.  I  after- 
ward heard  that  the  genei'al  in  command  at  Salerno  invari- 
ably offered  my  friends  an  escort  of  soldiers  when  they 
wished  to  leave  Salerno,  an  offer  which  was,  of  course, 
thankfully  accepted.  In  Italy  it  is  highly  dangerous  to 
carry  large  sums  of  money ;  life  is  held  in  such  little  esteem 
that  hundreds  would  have  thought  nothing  of  taking  any 
life  that  stood  between  them  and  the  coveted  gold.) 

I  was  delighted  at  the  sight  of  the  letters,  but  my  heart 
sank  when  I  asked  Manzo  how  much  money,  and  the  answer 
was  returned  ofniente.  The  horrid  talk  about  my  ears  came 
to  my  mind  again,  but  I  was  relieved  when  I  was  told  that 
no  money  was  sent  because  my  friends  thought  I  was  dead, 
and  would  send  no  more  unless  they  received  a  letter  in 
English  from  me  to  prove  I  was  alive.     I  directly  saw  that 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  June  28  to  30.  239 

this  was  a  clever  device  to  induce  the  brigands  to  let  me 
write  in  English,  and  enable  me  to  give  hints  regarding  the 
course  they  should  pursue  at  Naples.* 

As  soon  as  I  received  the  letters  (and  how  those  from  my 
wife  made  me  grieve !),  Manzo  came  to  me  and  told  me 
to  write  to  the  consul  and  my  wife,  and  that  I  might  write 
two  lines  of  English  in  each.  I  told  him  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  say  any  thing  in  two  lines,  and  got  with  difficulty 
permission  to  write  jive  lines,  but  not  a  word  more.  Into 
these  few  lines  I  contrived  to  squeeze  as  much  information 
for  my  friends  as  possible,  telling  them  of  my  real  state,  and 
of  my  great  desire  to  be  liberated ;  also  how  they  were  to 
distinguish  in  future  between  what  was  really  written  by 
me  and  what  was  dictated ;  and  I  mentioned  that  the  band 
would  never  reduce  their  demand  as  long  as  they  believed 
that  the  government  would  pay.  These  letters  were  sent 
off  by  Pepino  Cerino  and  his  band.  Manzo  remained  with 
us,  and  told  me  that  the  messenger  would  return  in  four 
days. 

*  I  afterward  heard  that  this  letter  was  concocted  by  Messrs.  Holme 
and  C at  Salerno  with  the  view  I  supposed. 


240         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Diary  of  Me.  Moens,  July  1  to  17. 

Waiting  for  an  Answer. — The  Soldiers  again. — We  Retreat. — How  they 
encouraged  me  to  move  on. — A  narrow  Escape. — News  of  Giardullo's 
Capture. — How  it  was  effected. — Gambling  again. — I  lend  my  Comb. — 
Place  aux  Dames. — Orchard  Robbing. — A  Meal  of  Onions. — Pavone 
steals  my  Socks. — The  Fame  of  Crocco  and  Borjes. — Telescopes. — 
Sheep-stealing. — Another  Night  Walk. — I  write  more  Letters. — Guan- 
ge  offends  Manzo. — Manzo  enforces  Discipline. — Feeling  of  the  Band 
toward  him. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Sentonio's  Water-bottle. — Mysteri- 
ous Disappearance  of  the  Contents. — Lorenzo  physics  himself. — I  am 
threatened  by  all. — I  think  seriously  of  cutting  my  Ears  myself. — Pro- 
posal to  Emigrate  under  my  Leadership. 

The  next  day,  Manzo,  after  his  usual  custom,  sent  me  off 
under  the  charge  of  Sentonio  and  Lorenzo  higher  up  the 
mountain.  It  was  hitterly  cold,  and  where  we  were  sent 
there  was  no  chance  of  getting  any  sun.  Lorenzo  here 
again  confided  to  me  his  intention  of  giving  himself  up  to 
justice  as  soon  as  my  money  was  paid.  I  tried  the  plan  of 
bribing  him,  but  got  the  same  answer  that  Pavone  gave  me 
— that  he  feared  the  vengeance  of  Manzo  on  his  relatives. 
What  a  horrid  place  we  were  now  in  !  It  was  very  damp, 
and  the  ground  covered  with  large  pieces  of  rotten  wood, 
crumbling  to  dust  at  the  least  touch. 

In  the  evening  the  band  came  up  to  sleep  in  this  place, 
Manzo  considering  that  it  was  hardly  safe  close  to  the  fount- 
ain, for  fear  of  the  soldiers  coming  there  for  water.     Ferdi- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moem,  July  1  to  17.  241 

nando,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Italian  army,  with  four 
others,  was  sent  down  to  the  plain  to  forage  for  bread. 
Manzo  was  far  more  cautious  than  the  others,  and  would 
allow  no  fire  in  the  morning. 

Every  morning  my  joints  grew  stiffer  and  stiffer  from  the 
effects  of  the  cold  and  damp,  and  I  dreaded  much  the  rheu- 
matism that  I  felt  sure  I  should  suffer  from  afterward. 
About  nine  o'clock  there  was  an  idea  that  some  people  were 
at  the  fountain,  and  Manzo  went  a  little  way  down  to  re- 
connoitre, but  returned,  saying  there  was  nothing;  in  five 
minutes  more,  the  sentinel  who  had  been  sent  farther  down 
came  running  up  in  a  great  state  of  alarm,  saying  that  fifty 
soldiers  were  at  the  fountain.  I  was  immediately  told  to 
run  up  the  mountain,  and  they  would  hardly  let  me  pick  up 
my  little  bundle  of  things  and  my  capote.  The  bread  was 
taken,  but  the  water-barrel  and  caldaja  were  left  behind, 
and  I  was  driven  before  them. 

I  was  exceedingly  weak  from  the  effects  of  my  late  ill- 
ness, and  soon  slackened,  but  they  immediately  stimulated 
my  pace  with  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  and  they  used  all 
their  exertions  to  put  at  least  a  mile  of  thick  wood  between 
them  and  their  foes.  (From  a  conversation  I  had  after  my 
freedom  with  the  officers  at  Giffoni,  I  found  that  the  troops 
had  had  no  idea  that  those  they  were  looking  so  eagerly  for 
were  so  close  to  them.)  And  when  the  brigands  found 
that  they  were  not  followed,  they  took  it  more  leisurely, 
and  after  another  mile  they  halted  on  a  high  mound,  sloping 
down  on  three  sides,  the  other  side  being  in  the  opposite 
direction  to  the  soldiers. 

Here  we  waited  for  the  men  who  were  expected  with 
bread,  great  fears  being  expressed  for  their  safety,  lest  they 
should  have  fallen  in  the  way  of  the  troops,  who  were  just 
where  they  would  pass  in  making  their  way  to  join  the 

L 


242         English  Travelers  a?id  Italian  Brigands. 

band.  In  about  two  hours  some  stones  were  heard  falling 
from  the  extreme  top  of  the  mountain,  and  scouts  were  sent 
immediately  to  go  and  see  whether  it  was  occasioned  by 
their  companions  or  by  the  soldiers,  when  it  was  found  to  be 
the  former ;  and  in  the  course  of  another  hour  they  rejoined 
us,  reporting  that  they  had  seen  the  force  at  the  fountain. 
They  had  not  been  able  to  get  any  bread  on  account  of  the 
force  in  the  plain.  The  soldiers  had  caught  some  women 
who  were  bringing  up  bread,  confetti,  rosolio,  and  bacon  on 
the  back  of  a  donkey,  just  as  the  things  were  about  to  be 
given  to  Ferdinando  and  his  party,  who  actually  saw  the 
soldiers  seize  every  thing,  being  only  a  few  yards  off.  Had 
they  come  up  a  few  minutes  later,  the  brigands  would  have 
been  captured  with  the  food. 

This  all  shows  the  difficulty  the  troops  have  in  finding  the 
brigands ;  they  had  no  idea  where  they  were,  and  yet  the 
brigands  saw  the  soldiers,  and  escaped  without  the  latter 
even  knowing  that  they  were  near.  We  heard  that  about 
a  week  before,  the  band  got  information  that  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  province  of  Salerno,  the  Capo  Giardullo, 
another  brigand  captain  and  his  band,  consisting  of  about 
thirty  men,  had  been  surprised,  and  four  killed  and  three 
wounded.  Giardullo,  and  eventually  all  but  four  old  hauds, 
gave  themselves  up  to  justice,  and  are  now  safely  lodged  in 
prison  at  Salerno.  Great  commiseration  was  expressed  for 
them.  "  Oh,  dear  companions !"  being  the  phrase  continu- 
ally uttered.  In  Giardullo's  case  information  was  gained 
that  a  peasant  had  just  taken  food  to  the  band ;  he  was  met 
by  the  troops,  and  with  a  pistol  at  his  head  was  made  to  re- 
trace his  steps,  and  show  where  the  hiding-place  of  Giardul- 
lo was ;  the  sentinels  were  all  asleep,  and  the  brigands  were 
pinned  in  the  cave  where  they  were  passing  the  night. 
They  immediately  fired  at  the  soldiers,  who  returned  their 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  July  1  to  17.  243 


GIAEDULLO   DI   PESTO. 


fire  with  the  result  mentioned  above.  The  rest  all  escaped, 
but  gave  themselves  up  afterward.  I  presume  that  they 
had  realized  sufficient  plunder  to  enable  them  to  live  com- 
fortably in  pi-ison,  for  their  friends,  under  certain  regula- 
tions, are  allowed  to  send  them  food  and  any  thing  they 
may  require. 

The  band  remained  here  all  day,  and  for  a  wonder  gam- 
bling went  on  quietly  for  some  time.  I  felt  very  miserable, 
for  the  messenger  was  to  have  returned  on  Sunday  to  the 
fountain,  but  now  this  fresh  disgrazia  would  make  a  fresh 
delay.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  crept  silently  through 
the  woods,  descending  the  mountain,  and  at  last  struck  a 
path  which  led  us  over  some  hills  covered  with  broom. 
We  arrived  at  last  at  a  spring  of  excellent  water,  where  we 
rested  half  an  hour,  and  then  went  on  again  for  an  hour, 
halting  on  some  open  ground  surrounded  by  low  hills.   Here 


244         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  captain  and  three  men  went  on  some  distance  in  order  to 
see  whether  the  country  was  clear  from  the  dreaded  force. 
The  ground  was  a  soft  marl,  to  which  the  heavy  rains  so 
prevalent  in  this  part  of  the  country  had  cut  deep  courses. 
There  were  many  boulders  of  white  limestone  scattered 
about,  some  of  them  supported  on  pillars  of  earth,  the  sur- 
rounding ground  having  been  washed  away. 

I  was  told  here  that  we  were  to  go  on  walking  till  day- 
light, so  I  took  the  opportunity  of  getting  all  the  rest  I 
could;  but  the  inveterate  gamblers  were  hard  at  work 
again.  It  was  here  that  some  of  the  band  insisted  on  borrow- 
ing my  comb,  and  it  was  returned  to  me  full  of  filth.  I  felt 
very  disgusted,  but  had  to  make  up  my  mind  to  this,  as  well 
as  to  giving  up  to  one  of  the  women,  Maria  by  name,  a  piece 
of  bread  I  had  saved,  who  exercised  the  privilege  of  her  sex 
in  changing  her  mind,  having  refused  to  eat  in  the  morning 
when  she  was  offered  her  own  share.  "While  here  I  was  de- 
lighted at  hearing  a  number  of  linnets  singing  most  sweet- 
ly. In  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  a  whistle  from  the 
direction  the  captain  had  taken  told  the  band  all  was  safe, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  on  our  way  again. 

We  soon  came  to  an  excellent  mule-road  passing  through 
plantations  of  enormous  chestnut-trees,  the  fields  being  all 
well  cultivated.  It  now  grew  quite  dark,  and  we  began  to 
descend,  the  road  being  on  the  verge  of  a  precipice  for  some 
miles  ;  the  valley  was  deep  below  us,  and  the  site  of  a  town 
was  clearly  marked  out  by  a  grand  illumination,  which 
speedily  broke  out  into  a  blaze  of  fire-works,  the  rockets  il- 
luminating all  around.  I  inquired  what  it  was  all  for,  and 
was  told  that  it  was  afesta  in  honor  of  the  Madonna.  We 
stopped  some  time  enjoying  the  spectacle,  the  good  people 
of  the  town  of  Montella  little  thinking  that  the  dreaded 
brigands  were  so  near.    When  we  got  lower  down  greater 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens^  July  1  to  17.  245 

caution  was  observed,  and  we  walked  through  the  cultivated 
ground  a  little  way  from  the  road.  We  passed  some  large 
heaps  of  firewood,  and  at  a  hut  near  a  dog  barked  most  vio- 
lently at  us ;  at  last  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  mountain, 
and  an  excellent  level  road  crossed  our  path  at  right  angles, 
evidently  leading  to  the  town. 

I  felt  a  great  inclination  to  dash  along  it  and  make  an  at- 
tempt to  escape,  but  I  was  too  closely  surrounded  by  my 
guardians,  who  had  had  fresh  orders  to  look  carefully  after 
me.  I  heard  some  of  them  tell  the  others  that  it  was  here 
that  the  provisions  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  soldiers 
at  ten  o'clock  last  night.  I  could  now  see  the  high  mount- 
ains on  the  other  side  of  the  plain,  and  I  was  told  that  we  had 
to  go  right  over  the  highest,  which  was  a  very  long  way  off, 
and  that  we  must  get  a  long  way  up  before  daybreak.  We 
soon  came  to  a  river :  some  walked  through  without  hesita- 
tion, the  water  coming  a  little  higher  than  their  knees.  I 
took  the  opportunity  of  drinking  some  water,  for  our  long 
walk  of  seven  hours  had  made  me  very  thirsty.  I  asked 
when  we  should  have  something  to  eat,  but  was  met  with 
the  cheering  answer  of  "  Who  knows  ?"  A  sturdy  fellow 
now  came  to  carry  me  over  the  stream  on  his  back,  and  he 
deposited  me  safely  on  the  other  bank. 

A  very  little  way  farther  on  we  came  to  a  small  house 
standing  by  itself,  and  close  by  were  the  ruins  of  another. 
We  were  hidden  behind  these  while  Manzo,  and  Andrea, 
and  the  secretary  of  Cerino's  band  went  to  the  house,  and  in 
about  half  an  hour  came  back  to  us  with  a  quantity  of  In- 
dian-corn bread  ;  but  this,  when  divided,  was  but  little  for 
about  forty  men,  and  the  share  of  each  was  very  small. 
Mine  was  very  mouldy,  and  I  was  told  to  keep  half  for  the 
next  day.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  lighted  us 
through  a  succession  of  orchards  and  gardens.    At  one  place 


246  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

we  pillaged  a  patch  of  onions  growing  in  rows  between  In- 
dian corn.  I  secured  several,  besides  those  that  some  of  the 
band  gave  me.  How  delicious  they  seemed  to  me !  Na- 
ture craved  for  vegetable  food  after  a  long  abstinence  from 
it,  and  I  fancied  some  of  my  fastidious  friends'  expression  of 
face  could  they  have  seen  me  devouring  these  odoriferous 
bulbs  like  apples.  Manzo  would  not  allow  a  repetition  of 
this  onion  plundering,  lest  too  apparent  traces  of  the  band 
should  be  left  behind.  At  another  place  a  cherry-tree  being- 
discovered,  up  went  one  of  the  band  in  an  instant,  and  in- 
stead of  picking  the  fruit  from  the  boughs,  the  branches 
were  torn  off  and  thrown  down  to  those  below,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  little  more  than  two  or  three  bare  poles  were 
left.  Unripe  plums,  apples,  and  pears  soon  filled  our  pock- 
ets, and  after  great  difficulty  all  were  reassembled  in  march- 
ing order,  and  climbing  up  the  high  walls  forming  the  ter- 
races of  earth,  and  gradually  getting  on  higher  ground. 

We  passed  a  newly-made  road,  running  from  a  village  that 
was  a  little  higher  up  on  our  right-hand  side,  and  appearing 
to  join  the  highway,  which  I  was  told  went  to  Apulia. 
Hour  after  hour  passed  as  we  toiled  through  corn-fields, 
every  now  and  then  having  to  wait  for  the  stragglers,  among 
whom  was  Lorenzo,  who  always  had  been  kind  to  me :  he 
was  suffering  from  tertiary  fever,  the  result  of  a  cold  caught 
in  getting  wet  through  a  few  days  before.  At  last  they  all 
got  so  tired  that  they  told  the  captain  they  would  not  walk 
any  more ;  but  he  told  them  that  when  it  was  light  they 
should  rest  for  a  few  hours,  so  on  we  went  till  the  day 
broke,  and  then  they  threw  themselves  down  under  an  oak, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  all  but  the  sentinels  were  fast  asleep. 
Here  Pavone  took  advantage  of  my  slumber  to  extract  a 
new  pair  of  socks  from  my  pockets,  which  I  kept  there  for 
a  change,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction,  a  day  or  two  after,  of 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  1  to  17.  247 

seeing  him  wearing  my  property.  I  tried  to  rescue  them, 
but  he  only  laughed  at  me.  I  did  not  wake  up  much  before 
ten  o'clock,  and  found  the  brigands  in  a  great  state  of  ex- 
citement, the  sentinels  having  seen  four  carriages  passing 
along  the  road  to  Apulia.  I  was  told  that  Apulia  was  the 
head-quarters  of  brigandage,  and  that  they  had  a  general 
there  named  Crocco,*  who  they  said  was  in  communication 
with  Rome.  I  asked  how  many  he  had  under  him.  "A 
thousand  men  and  many  captains,"  was  the  reply,  "  as  well 
as  six  hundred  in  the  Basilicata."f  They  also  told  me  that 
in  1861  Spanish  generals  came  to  lead  those  fighting  for 
Francis  II.  against  Victor  Emmanuel,  and  that  one  of  them, 
named  Borjes,  had  an  enormous  black  beard,  which  they  said 
he  always  held  in  his  left  hand  when  he  drank  milk,  of  which 
he  was  very  fond. 

At  midday  we  went  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  wait- 
ed there  till  the  evening.  To-day  I  had  the  luxury  of  a 
little  butter  which  Andrea  had  obtained  from  the  house 
when  he  went  with  Manzo  to  get  the  bread.  In  this  part 
of  Italy  it  is  very  rarely  made ;  but  when  they  do  make  it, 
it  is  put  into  little  bladders.  The  brigand  way  of  eating  it 
is  to  spread  it  half  an  inch  thick  on  bread,  and  then  to  put 
it  out  in  the  sun  to  melt.  It  was  rather  rancid ;  but  by  this 
time  I  was  not  overnice  as  regards  the  quality  of  any  thing, 
particularly  luxuries. 

Telescopes  were  in  full  use  all  day ;  the  captain  had  got 
a  new  one  from  somewhere  or  other,  and  was  very  pleased 
with  it.  In  one  letter  to  my  wife  he  made  me  write  for  the 
best  English  telescope  to  be  obtained  in  Naples,  either  from 

*  For  an  account  of  this  distinguished  "general,"  I  mnst  again  refer 
my  readers  to  the  works  of  Count  MafFeo  and  Mr.  Hilton.  The  doings 
of  General  Borjes  are  also  there  fully  described. 

t  See  Appendix  F. 


248         English  D'avelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

a  man-of-war  or  merchant  vessel,  without  any  regard  to  cost ; 
but,  fortunately,  I  had  written  two  words  in  English,  and 
this  had  determined  him  not  to  send  the  letter,  and  thus 
saved  my  friends  the  trouble  of  looking  after  a  glass. 

I  was  rather  amused  at  seeing  one  of  the  men  turn  out  of 
his  pocket  a  pair  of  blue  cloth  trowsers,  which  Manzo  im- 
mediately seized  and  put  on  ;  his  old  ones  he  gave  to  Scope, 
whose  attire  was  in  the  most  deplorable  state.  We  were 
very  thirsty,  for  we  had  had  no  water  since  last  night,  and 
had  walked  many  hours  after  drinking. 

When  it  grew  dark  Manzo  and  all  the  band  (except  four 
or  five  who  remained  with  me)  went  away,  with  orders  that 
I  was  to  be  brought  on  in  about  an  hour.  After  waiting 
this  time  I  was  taken  over  the  crest  of  the  mountain,  along 
ground  level  at  first,  and  then  slightly  descending  to  some 
rocks,  where  we  found  the  rest  of  the  band  eagerly  watch- 
ing a  large  flock  of  sheep  passing  along  the  bottom  of  the 
valley.  I  came  up  just  in  time  to  see  how  they  take  the 
sheep.  Manzo,  Justi,  and  two  or  three  more  had  gone  down 
the  hill-side  stealthily,  and  hid  behind  a  rock,  and  when 
the  flock  passed  opposite  them,  they  darted  out  and  rush- 
ed down  to  the  two  shepherds,  who  of  course  were  pow- 
erless in  the  presence  of  armed  men ;  two  then  went  with 
the  flock  to  their  resting-place,  where  the  sheep  are  milked 
and  the  cheese  made.  As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  we  went 
down  to  join  the  captain.  The  brigands  raced  down  the 
hill  with  much  joking.  I  tried  to  do  the  same,  but  found 
that  I  could  not  manage  it  like  they  did,  and  so  I  went 
down  more  soberly.  When  we  reached  Manzo  we  heard 
that  the  shepherds  were  going  to  cook  three  sheep  for  us, 
for  the  band  could  not  do  the  cooking  because  of  the  loss  of 
their  caldron,  and  that  the  captain  had  ordered  them  to 
bring  up  some  milk  for  me.    We  then  ascended  the  hills  on 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  1  to  17.  249 

the  other  side  of  the  valley,  and  at  the  top  waited  for  the 
promised  meal.  In  a  short  time  one  of  the  shepherds  and 
a  little  boy  brought  up  a  barrel  of  water,  which  was  most 
welcome,  and  then  I  laid  my  head  on  my  capote  and  slept 
soundly  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  I  was  then  awoke 
by  the  arrival  of  the  milk  and  some  bread,  which  were  very 
welcome  after  two  days'  diet  of  mouldy  Indian  corn-bread. 
A  few  minutes  afterward  the  meat  came  up  in  milk-pails, 
and  was  divided  into  shares.  I  was  unlucky  in  my  share, 
as  it  consisted  only  of  large  bones  with  hardly  any  thing  on 
them ;  but  I  felt  thankful  for  the  bread  and  milk  I  had  just 
had.  We  could  now  see  the  fires  of  four  sheepfolds  along 
the  valley,  which  were  all  visited  on  our  way,  the  band  wait- 
ing at  each  one  while  two  or  three  of  them  went  to  the 
shepherds  and  took  or  bought  their  stock  of  rye  bread. 
The  dogs  in  the  valley  kept  up  a  tremendous  howling, 
which  did  not  die  away  till  we  got  some  distance  from  the 
flocks.  The  walking  to-night  was  of  quite  a  different  kind 
to  any  I  had  experienced  before. 

The  country,  instead  of  being  wooded  and  mountainous, 
was  bare,  undulating,  and  very  sandy,  and  with  very  little 
or  no  water,  and  we  suffered  much  for  want  of  it  for  two 
or  three  days.  Here  and  there  were  patches  of  rye  and  po- 
tatoes ;  and  when  passing  the  cultivated  parts,  Manzo  or- 
dered the  band  to  scatter,  so  that  no  distinct  trace  might  be 
left  of  their  passage.  We  kept  walking  all  night  in  a 
southerly  direction,  and  toward  the  morning  went  down  a 
steep  hill,  and  descended  into  the  rocky  bed  of  a  winter  tor- 
rent. Here  I  was  told  to  sit  down,  and  was  left  under  the 
charge  of  the  secretary  of  Cerino's  band,  who  told  me  that 
we  were  going  to  Calabria.  This  made  me  very  miserable, 
for  the  farther  I  got  from  Giffoni  the  more  difficult  it  would 
be  to  get  the  money,  as  Signor  Visconti  very  properly  would 

L2 


250         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

not  hand  over  any  without  an  order  from  me.  While  I  was 
waiting  here,  the  rest  of  the  band  went  down  the  river  bed 
searching  for  water,  and  at  last  they  found  a  little  that  had 
been  left  in  a  deep  hole ;  but  this  was  putrid  and  full  of 
sand,  and  I  thought  it  prudent  not  to  drink  any.  In  a  short 
time  I  was  told  to  follow  Andrea,  who,  while  I  was  with 
him,  kept  me  at  a  little  distance,  and  never  took  his  eyes  off 
me.  We  followed  the  river,  having  to  go  down  most  awk- 
ward places,  which  were  waterfalls  when  the  river  was  full. 
All  the  stone  was  polished,  which  made  walking  very  diffi- 
cult; and  at  last  we  had  to  climb  up  a  most  precipitous 
rock  in  the  best  way  we  could.  The  foremost  would  pull 
up  the  next,  while  the  one  behind  assisted  by  pushing. 

It  was  now  morning,  and  we  entered  into  a  dense  wood 
covering  the  mountain,  which  was  destined  to  be  our  hid- 
ing-place for  some  time.  In  a  few  minutes  we  came  to  a 
grassy  spot,  and  orders  were  given  to  stop  there  for  the 
day.  The  grass  was  very  wet  from  the  heavy  dew,  and,  to 
make  it  more  comfortable,  it  soon  began  to  rain  heavily. 
The  bread  obtained  from  the  shepherds  was  divided ;  it 
was  made  of  rye  flour,  and  was  as  hard  as  a  stone.  In  a 
very  short  time  the  blows  of  an  axe  were  heard  close  by, 
and  then  those  of  another  a  little  way  off.  At  the  sound  of 
these  the  brigands  pricked  up  their  ears,  and  Manzo,  with 
two  or  three  others,  went  to  see  what  use  could  be  made 
of  the  wood-cutters.  We  were  told  to  creep  noiselessly 
farther  away  from  where  they  were  at  work,  and  fault  was 
found  with  me  (as  always  was  the  case)  because  I  did  not 
make  myself  sufficiently  invisible,  my  observation  that  I  was 
a  foot  and  a  half  taller  than  some  of  them  only  serving  t'o 
increase  their  anger.  Many  a  time  did  I  get  a  thump  on 
the  back  because  of  this.  When  the  captain  returned,  he 
reported  that  there  were  two  men  and  three  women,  and 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  1  to  17.  251 

that  they  had  arranged  to  bring  some  bread  for  us.  Our 
sufferings  from  thirst  were  very  great  again  to-day,  and  I 
was  compelled  to  drink  the  muddy  water,  the  flavor  of 
which  was  not  improved  by  being  brought  to  me  in  the  in- 
side of  one  of  their  wide-awakes.  At  nightfall  we  went  to 
a  gully  near  the  top  of  the  mountain.  It  was  full  of  dead 
leaves,  with  which  I  made  a  comfortable  bed,  and  Sentonio 
built  up  a  level  space  close  to  me  with  the  stones  he  had 
picked  up.  Some  slept  above  and  some  below  me,  in  order 
to  prevent  all  chance  of  escape. 

The  next  day,  July  5, 1  was  ordered  to  write  more  letters, 
from  which  I  knew  that  I  was  going  to  be  left  under  the 
charge  of  a  few  while  the  others  went  for  more  money. 
Manzo  was  rather  irate  with  me  to-day,  and  told  me  that  if 
money  did  not  come  this  time,  my  head  would  be  sent  to 
my  friends.  I  made  my  usual  remark,  "Just  as  you  please," 
and  asked  him  how  long  he  would  be,  and  was  told  six 
days. 

I  had  a  specimen  to-day  of  the  treatment  which  members 
of  the  band  received  on  displeasing  their  captain.  Guange, 
who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Italian  army,  and  who  had 
become  a  brigand  merely  for  having  been  away  from  his 
regiment  one  day  without  leave,  was  having  an  altercation 
with  one  of  his  comrades,  and,  like  these  people,  wished  to 
have  the  last  word.  Manzo  told  him  to  be  quiet ;  and  just 
because  he  did  not  obey  at  once,  he  rushed  at  him,  knocked 
him  down,  and  kept  hitting  him  and  rubbing  his  face  on  to 
the  stones.  Still  Guange  would  not  be  quiet  until  Manzo 
had  pounded  his  face  into  a  jelly,  it  being  quite  bruised, 
and  bleeding  freely.  Even  his  gums  were  cut  badly  from 
the  grinding  against  the  ground. 

Manzo  looked  a  perfect  demon  when  excited ;  he  curled 
up  his  lips  and  showed  all  his  teeth,  and  roared  at  his  vie- 


252  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

tim,  jerking  out  his  words.  The  implicit  obedience  gener- 
ally shown  to  him  by  the  members  of  his  band  was  extraor- 
dinary. They  loved  him  on  account  of  his  unselfishness  as 
regards  food,  he  being  always  willing  to  give  away  his  own 
share,  and  they  feared  him  because  he  had  shown  on  one  or 
two  occasions  that  he  did  not  scruple  to  shoot  any  of  them 
on  the  spot  if  they  refused  to  obey  his  orders. 

In  the  afternoon  the  promised  provisions  arrived  in  the 
shape  of  bread,  a  ham,  and  sausages.  Shortly  after  this 
Manzo  went  away,  leaving  six  men  with  me.  The  next 
day  (6th  of  July)  we  moved  lower  down  the  mountain,  and 
found  a  small  level  spot,  free  from  trees  or  bushes,  close  to 
an  old  hut  that  had  been  used  by  the  woodcutters  in  the 
winter.  In  this  was  found  an  earthen  jug  of  a  curious 
shape,  which  proved  very  useful.  A  quantity  of  strawber- 
ry and  raspberry  plants  also  grew  here ;  the  strawben'ies 
were  just  in  season,  and  were  most  delicious.  I  longed  to 
be  allowed  to  search  for  them.  One  day,  a  lover  of  fruit 
went  on  an  expedition  after  them,  and  brought  back  his  cap 
full ;  these  were  divided  among  us,  I  getting  my  share  with 
the  rest.  We  remained  on  this  mountain  till  the  16th  of 
July. 

The  weather  was  very  fine  but  very  hot,  and  I  suffered 
frightfully  from  thirst,  being  supplied,  like  an  animal,  only 
once  a  day,  or  rather  once  a  night,  for  the  water  always 
came  up  at  about  ten  o'clock,  an  hour  or  two  after  I  had 
gone  to  sleep ;  and  it  was  so  cold  that  it  always  kept  me 
from  sleeping  half  the  night.  Two  or  three  times  they 
brought  up  none  for  me,  and  I  had  to  do  without  it  for 
forty-eight  hours.  A  small  wine-bottle  full  was  the  quan- 
tity they  gave  me,  and  sometimes  one  of  them  would  drink 
half  of  that  before  handing  it  over  to  me.  They  abused  me 
terribly  if  I  asked  for  more  ;  but  one  night  I  got  the  better 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  July  1  to  17.  253 

of  them.  The  old  brigand,  Sentonio,  was  sleeping  next  to 
me,  and  he  had  got  an  earthen-ware  jar  full  of  water,  which 
he  (to  prevent  its  being  drunk)  used  as  a  pillow.  I  had 
been  done  out  of  my  allowance  by  him  the  day  before ;  so, 
when  he  was  asleep,  I  quietly  pulled  out  the  leaves,  which 
always  serve  the  brigands  for  corks,  from  the  mouth  of 
the  jar,  and  then  inserted  a  tube,  and,  exhausting  the  air,  I 
got  all  I  wanted,  and  before  morning  nearly  emptied  the 
vessel.  It  was  great  fun  to  see  his  puzzled  face  when  he 
woke,  as  he  put  it  to  his  lips  for  a  draught. 

The  fountain  where  they  got  the  water  was  at  least  a 
mile  off,  and  once  or  twice  the  soldiers  went  to  it ;  but  in- 
formation was  always  given  to  the  brigands  beforehand  by 
a  peasant  who  lived  in  a  cottage  at  the  bottom  of  the 
mountain,  a  regular  system  of  signals  having  been  estab- 
lished between  him  and  the  band  by  means  of  blows  of  an 
axe  on  a  tree,  a  different  meaning  being  conveyed  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  blows.  They  were  much  put  out  one 
day  by  my  telling  them  that  their  friend  wanted  one  of 
them  to  come  down  to  him,  and  that  he  was  waiting  in  a 
patch  of  potatoes.  I  knew  that  there  was  a  cottage  by  the 
constant  barking  of  a  dog  in  one  place.  I  always  made  a 
point  of  telling  the  brigands  all  I  found  out,  and  the  differ- 
ent lies  each  would  tell  about  the  same  thing  served  to  con- 
firm me  when  I  was  doubtful  about  any  thing.  One  day 
we  moved  our  position,  and  I  was  sent  with  Pavone  and 
two  others  to  our  old  place  in  the  gully  at  the  top  of  the 
mountain  ;  they  missed  the  way,  going  too  far  to  the  right. 
I  kept  telling  them  they  were  going  wrong,  but  they  would 
not  listen  to  me ;  but  at  last,  after  a  great  deal  of  bad  lan- 
guage, and  the  poor  Madonna  being  called  all  sorts  of  names, 
they  took  my  advice,  and  we  soon  found  the  desired  place. 
Afterward  I  heard  them  telling  the  others  that  I  knew  far 


254  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

too  much.  It  was  very  tedious  lying  all  day  and  night  in 
the  same  position,  for  many  days  in  succession. 

One  day  they  amused  themselves  by  telling  me  that 
Manzo  had  given  himself  up  to  justice,  and  that  they  were 
going  to  increase  the  sum  required  for  my  ransom ;  then 
one  by  one  they  came  to  me,  telling  me  in  a  confidential 
way  that  this  was  the  worst  thing  that  could  happen  to  me, 
for  Manzo  always  took  my  part  when  they  wanted  to  mu- 
tilate me.  Pasquale,  who  was  always  urging  Manzo  to  cut 
my  ears  off,  told  me  that  he  had  been  chosen  captain  ;  but  I 
told  him  that  they  would  never  choose  a  man  like  him,  for 
he  could  neither  read  nor  write.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
4000  ducats  deposited  with  his  friends,  which  was  afterward 
confirmed  by  several  of  the  band;  but  I  told  him  that  money 
did  not  make  a  man.  Ferdinando  told  me  that  they  had 
had  news  that  my  wife  was  dead,  and  though  I  felt  sure 
that  they  were  all  telling  falsehoods,  yet  the  thought  often 
came  over  me,  and  did  not  tend  to  cheer  me  up.  The  cap- 
tain was  so  long  away  that  food  began  to  run  short ;  for 
peasants,  after  they  have  provided  a  certain  quantity,  and 
secured  a  good  sum  of  money,  do  not  like  running  a  farther 
risk  of  20  years  in  prison — their  punishment,  should  they  be 
discovered  in  aiding  and  abetting  the  brigands. 

At  first  the  woodcutter  sent  up  a  supply  of  first-rate  bread 
every  two  days,  the  loaves  weighing  seven  pounds  a  piece ; 
and  on  one  occasion,  a  quantity  of  cooked  macaroni  in  a 
sieve,  as  well  as  a  boiled  fowl  for  Lorenzo,  who  still  suffered 
from  fever.  He  did  not  fancy  it ;  I  offered  to  cut  it  up  for 
the  whole  party.  I  began  in  the  usual  way,  but  this  was 
far  too  slow  for  the  savages,  who  took  it  in  one  hand,  and 
then  tore  off  the  limbs  with  the  other,  and  it  was  divided 
into  eleven  shares.  Lorenzo  at  last  got  some  quinine  and 
castor  oil ;  and  as  brigands  never  do  any  thing  by  halves, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  1  to  17.  255 

and  this  rule  holds  good  with  medicine,  he  drank  a  good- 
sized  bottle  of  the  oil  at  once,  and  took  every  ninety  min- 
utes as  much  quinine  as  would  lie  on  a  franc.  This  violent 
treatment  seemed  to  succeed,  for  it  cut  short  in  one  day 
the  fever  which  had  been  on  him  a  fortnight,  and  he  soon 
recovered  his  usual  strength.  Another  man  suffered  from 
a  dreadful  abscess  inside  his  cheek,  and  for  this  he  used  a 
fomentation  of  a  kind  of  straw  in  water.  A  week  after 
Manzo  left  us  we  had  to  go  two  days  without  any  thing  to 
eat,  so  a  foray  was  made  into  the  country  neai',  and  three 
sheep  alive  brought  back.  When  they  were  being  cut  up, 
I  was  much  disgusted  at  seeing  Generoso  and  Antonio,  who 
generally  acted  as  butchers,  tearing  mouthfuls  of  raw  meat, 
with  their  teeth,  from  the  carcass,  just  like  wolves.  I  ask- 
ed them  why  they  did  not  wait  for  it  to  be  cooked,  and 
they  said,  "Why  should  we,  when  we  are  dying  of  hun- 
ger?" 

To  make  amends  for  this  unpleasant  night,  I  was  delight- 
ed at  seeing  a  new  water-barrel,  which  would  hold  a  good 
supply,  sufficient  for  the  day,  so  that  my  torments  from  the 
want  of  water  this  hot  weather  I  hoped  would  be  spared 
me.  Few  living  in  our  land  of  comfort  know  what  it  is  to 
be  without  water  for  forty-eight  or  even  twenty-four  hours 
— the  fearful  thirst  one  wakes  with,  and  the  throat  so  parch- 
ed that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  speak.  Just  before  these 
arrived,  Pavone  and  four  others  went  down  to  the  cottage 
to  see  if  they  could  get  any  thing,  and  returned  with  some 
small  potatoes  and  some  peas,  which  they  call  ciceri — the 
word  which  all  were  required  to  say  on  the  night  of  the 
Sicilian  Vespers ;  those  who  were  unable  to  pronounce  it 
properly  being  set  down  as  French,  and  killed.  It  is  a  cu- 
rious sort  of  pea,  there  being  only  one  large  pea  in  each  pod. 
I  was  so  hungry  that  I  ate  a  quantity  uncooked  ;  an  earthen 


256  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

vessel  was  procured,  in  which  the  meat  was  stewed,  in  place 
of  the  caldaja,  the  loss  of  which  they  deplored  much. 

Day  by  day  I  got  more  desponding  at  the  non-arrival  of 
the  captain ;  the  15th  had  arrived,  and  it  was  about  eight 
o'clock,  when  an  earthen  jar  was  broken  in  order  to  make  a 
sort  of  plate.  The  noise  of  this  directed  Carmine  Amendolo 
to  us,  and  he  suddenly  appeared  in  the  middle  of  the  party 
without  their  having  heard  his  approach;  he  looked  very 
sulky  and  half-starved.  I  asked  him  where  the  captain  was, 
to  which  he  only  vouchsafed  the  reply  of  "Above."  I  then 
inquired  whether  money  and  letters  had  arrived,  and  a  jerk 
of  the  head  upward  told  me  that  I  was  again  disappointed, 
after  all  the  painful  hours  of  anticipation  I  had  gone  through. 

At  this  all  broke  out  reviling  me,  some  darting  at  me  with 
knives,  threatening  to  kill  me.  Even  Pavone,  who  always 
had  half  of  my  capote  at  night,  threatened  me,  and  I  spent 
the  most  uncomfortable  hour  possible,  expecting  every  mo- 
ment that  their  threat  of  cutting  off  my  ears  would  be  car- 
ried into  execution.  I  had  determined,  should  they  ap- 
proach for  that  purpose,  to  cut  off  the  top  of  one  myself, 
hoping  thereby  to  save  the  bottom  of  the  ear,  as  I  could 
conceal  the  loss  of  the  upper  part  with  my  hair ;  but  hap- 
pily the  captain  showed  himself,  and  told  me  that  Visconti 
had  not  sent  his  messenger  to  the  place  appointed  on  ac- 
count of  the  numerous  force  round  Giffoni. 

One  night,  while  in  this  spot,  I  was  taken  with  the  band 
to  the  fountain  where  the  water  was  procured.  A  piece  of 
hollow  wood  had  been  thrust  into  the  ground,  and  the  water 
ran  along  it,  pure  and  sparkling,  into  a  large  wooden  trough. 
At  a  right  angle  to  this  trough  was  another  very  long  one, 
which  I  presume  had  been  placed  here  for  the  convenience 
of  watering  sheep :  they  had,  however,  the  appearance  of 
not  having  been  used  for  some  time.    I  took  advantage  of 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moe?is,  July  1  to  11.  257 

being  here,  and  washed  my  face  and  hands  with  a  little 
piece  of  soap  I  had  begged  from  Andrea  some  time  ago :  it 
was  a  great  luxury  at  the  time,  but  the  next  day  I  suffered 
more  than  ever  from  the  musquitoes,  who  seemed  to  enjoy 
the  clean  flesh.  I  wished  to  do  more  in  the  washing  line, 
but  my  cautious  friends  would  not  hear  of  it,  being  afraid 
lest  the  soldiers  should  suddenly  appear.  It  was  a  lovely 
night,  the  moon  shining  brightly ;  and  instead  of  returning 
to  our  lair  in  the  wood,  the  band  ascended  the  hills  in  the 
opposite  direction.  I  was  delighted  with  the  exercise,  for  I 
had  not  been  allowed  to  move  for  several  days.  When  we 
arrived  on  the  top  signals  were  made,  which  were  soon  an- 
swered by  the  half  dozen  who  had  left  our  part  of  the  band 
a  few  hours  ago,  and  we  saw  them  moving  along  the  sharp 
outline  of  the  rocks,  the  bright  moonlight  making  the  brig- 
ands look  like  giants.  We  made  our  way  up  to  them,  and  I 
was  told  to  go  to  sleep;  but  the  scene  was  too  lovely  to  lose, 
and  so  I  sat  wrapped  up  in  my  cloak,  with  my  back  against 
a  large  stone.  In  a  short  time  I  heard  the  tramp,  tramp  of 
men  passing  over  stony  gi'ound  ;  it  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  at  last  I  could  see  four  or  five  of  the  brigands  approach- 
ing, carrying  a  supply  of  bread,  which  had  been  sent  from 
some  town.  Home-made  bread  is  as  different  from  baker's 
bread  in  Italy  as  it  is  in  England,  the  latter  being  not  half 
so  satisfying  as  that  made  in  the  houses  of  the  peasants. 
We  then  went  down  to  a  most  inaccessible  place  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain  toward  the  east :  it  was  most  break- 
neck work,  the  descent  being  nearly  perpendicular. 

We  stopped  here  all  the  next  day.  At  about  midday 
more  bread  arrived,  and  on  my  remarking  on  it,  and  giving 
my  opinion  that  it  was  made  in  a  house,  I  was  told  in  a 
most  angiy  way  by  Lorenzo  that  I  was  to  see  and  know 
nothing,  and  never  to  ask  any  questions,  but  to  be  satisfied 


258  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

when  provisions  came,  and  not  to  care  where  they  came 
from.  He  added  that  I  knew  far  too  mnch — in  fact,  more 
than  was  good  for  me.  I  laughed,  to  the  disgust  of  several 
of  them,  and  told  them  that  I  wanted  to  learn  all  I  could 
about  brigandage,  to  tell  the  good  people  in  England,  for 
they  had  no  idea  of  their  manners  and  customs,  and  that 
they  need  not  care  about  what  I  knew,  for  I  should  go  im- 
mediately to  England,  fifteen  hundred  miles  off,  when  I  was 
free. 

I  used  to  have  numerous  questions  about  England,  and 
they  were  astonished  to  hear  that  we  were  governed  by  a 
queen,  who  I  told  them  was  good  and  beloved  by  all ;  that 
there  were  no  brigands  there,  not  even  one.  They  made 
minute  inquiries  about  the  royal  family,  the  army,  and  prices 
of  provisions,  and  so  forth,  and  said  they  all  longed  to  be  in 
a  country  where  labor  was  so  well  rewarded.  It  was  most 
amusing  to  see  their  eyes  when  I  told  them  of  California 
and  Australia,  where  gold  was  dug  out  of  the  earth. 

At  last  they  said  that  they  would  all  go  there  if  I  would 
be  their  captain  !  I  thanked  them  much  for  the  honor  they 
showed  me,  but  I  told  them  that  both  I  and  my  wife  loved 
our  country  too  much  to  leave  it,  and  that  I  thought  that  if 
she  went  with  us  she  would  be  in  the  way,  and  that  I  could 
not  leave  her  behind  in  England.  Justi  then  proposed  to 
come  with  me  to  England,  and  offered  to  work  for  me  for 
nothing  if  I  would  give  him  food  and  clothing :  up  to  the 
last  he  was  harping  on  this  idea,  but  I  always  talked  of  the 
difficulty  of  his  leaving  Italy  with  a  passport.  In  the  even- 
ing we  returned  to  the  place  we  had  left  the  night  before. 

The  same  day  that  Manzo  arrived  soldiers  were  seen  on 
the  mountains  opposite,  and  after  a  careful  survey  through 
the  glasses,  I  was  sent  off  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
we  waited  on  the  opposite  side  till  the  captain  and  band 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  1  to  17.  259 

came  to  us.  It  was  a  very  noisy  and  quarrelsome  day, 
for  the  men  that  had  just  returned  with  Manzo  were  half 
starved,  and  would  eat  up  the  meat  that  had  heen  kept  in 
reserve ;  and  Manzo  was  very  indignant  when  he  found  that 
two  sheep  had  been  eaten  in  about  an  hour.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  I  had  seen  the  operation  of  roasting  on  a 
grand  scale, ;  the  small  pieces  of  meat  into  which  the  whole 
sheep  is  always  cut  up  were  stuck  on  long  skewers,  and 
then  these  were  rested  on  forked  sticks,  and  the  pieces  were 
eaten  as  fast  as  done.  Sometimes  it  was  rather  underdone, 
and  then  the  piece  would  be  thrown  down  into  the  hot 
ashes,  and,  when  it  was  done  to  their  fancy,  would  be  eaten, 
though  covered  with  dirt.  The  correct  way  to  clean  it  was 
to  rub  it  on  the  first  thing  handy,  generally  their  trowsers. 
I  came  ofi"  very  badly  to-day,  only  getting  a  tongue,  which  I 
had  to  cut  out  of  a  head  that  had  just  been  skinned :  the 
operation  made  me  feel  rather  sick,  but  I  found  necessity  a 
hard  master,  and  one  whom  I  was  obliged  to  obey.* 

In  the  early  part  of  the  afternoon  we  had  the  excitement 
of  hearing  a  gun  go  off  close  by ;  all  began  to  bolt,  when  it 
was  discovered  that  the  captain's  had  gone  off  by  accident. 
I  told  him  that  whoever  let  his  gun  off  ought  to  be  fined 
thirty  ducats,  to  be  spent  in  buying  rosolio  for  the  band  the 
first  opportunity.     This  rather  took  their  fancy. 

*  I  can  not  help  feeling  that  my  narrative  may  be  open  to  the  remark 
that  it  contains  a  great  deal  about  cooking,  eating,  and  drinking.  It  must 
be  remembered,  however,  that  these  operations  not  only  form  the  most 
important  features  in  the  domestic  life  of  ruffians  living,  as  brigands  do, 
from  hand  to  month,  but  that,  while  I  was  with  the  band,  these  operations 
were  of  sufficiently  rare  occurrence  to  be  highly  interesting  to  me. 


260         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Diary  of  Me.  Moens,  July  17  to  22. 

A  good  View  of  the  Country. — A  real  live  Wolf. — A  good  Omen. — Strik- 
ing a  Light  with  a  Percussion  Cap.  — A  Brigand  Bivouac.  —  Cook- 
ing Scene. — The  first  Whisper  of  a  Reduction  in  the  Ransom. — Pas- 
quale's  kind  Advice  to  the  Captain. — Manzo  leaves  me  again. — Scope's 
Gun  goes  off. — I  venture  to  chaff  him. — A  fair  Challenge. — His  Re- 
venge.— Visitors  from  Giardullo's  Band — Their  Adventures. — Manzo's 
Return. — A  Skirmish  with  the  Soldiers. — The  Band  is  divided. — Awk- 
ward Position  of  my  Party. — I  am  in  great  Danger. — Thoughts  of  Es- 
cape.— I  hesitate  to  kill  two  Sleeping  Men. 

July  17.  The  captain  now  required  six  men  to  go  with 
him,  the  rest  having  to  remain.  I  could  not  understand  why- 
all  were  so  loth  to  go  with  him,  but  I  heard  afterward  that 
a  supply  of  food  and  some  clean  shirts  were  to  be  waited 
for,  and  all  wanted  to  get  them  ;  but  he  called  the  required 
number  by  name,  and  they  were  obliged  to  follow  us.  In  a 
short  time  we  left  the  woods,  and  found  ourselves  on  the 
highest  ridge  of  a  mountain ;  the  rock  was  all  limestone, 
much  worn  by  the  action  of  the  rain.  Though  in  such  a 
very  elevated  spot,  it  was  considered  unsafe  to  continue 
walking  while  it  was  still  daylight ;  so  we  lay  down,  and  I 
had  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  the  extraordinary  view. 

We  were  on  the  extreme  east  of  the  province  of  Avellino, 
and,  looking  in  that  direction,  a  great  plain  lay  stretched  out 
at  our  feet,  extending  out  to  the  south.  Beyond  the  plain 
the  mountains  of  Apulia  were  very  visible,  and  over  these 
the  hazy  blue  of  the  Adriatic  could  be  discerned.    Turning 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moetis,  July  17  to  22.  261 

round  in  the  opposite  direction  was  the  Bay  of  Salerno,  and 
between  it  and  us  all  these  mountains  which  had  been  my 
home  for  the  last  two  months,  and  with  the  outlines  of  which 
I  was  now  so  familiar.  A  little  to  the  west  of  north  was 
Mount  Vesuvius,  and  a  little  more  to  the  west,  and  farther 
off,  was  Ischia.  To  the  northeast  were  the  rugged  heights 
of  the  Basilicata,  and  to  the  south  the  lofty  mountains  of 
Calabria.  The  River  Sele,  near  its  source,  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  little  silver  thread  that  ran  to  the  south 
through  the  plain,  and  at  last  lost  itself  in  a  large  lake  that 
lay  glistening  with  the  reflection  of  the  setting  sun ;  from 
this  ran  another  river  to  the  westward,  which  passed  to  the 
south  of  the  Salerno  Mountains,  and,  uniting  with  another 
branch  that  runs  from  the  southward,  forms  the  large  river 
which  we  crossed  between  Battipaglia  and  Paestum.  There 
was  a  town  a  little  to  the  southeast,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
plain,  and  another  some  way  to  the  south,  near  the  tremen- 
dous precipices  in  which  the  mountains  of  Avellino  seemed 
to  terminate  toward  the  east ;  and  to  the  south  of  the  lake, 
in  the  far  distance,  appeared  a  very  large  town. 

This  view  gave  me  a  thorough  insight  into  the  topog- 
raphy of  all  this  part  of  Southern  Italy,  and  I  recommend  all 
those  who  intend  to  make  a  new  map  of  Italy  to  ascend  this 
mountain,  and  not  to  take  for  granted  that  the  old  maps  are 
correct.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a  single  one  that  gives 
the  least  idea  of  the  correct  position  of  these  mountains  and 
plains.  The  brigands  were  amazed  as  I  pointed  out  all  the 
places  to  them,  and  eagerly  inquired  how  I  could  know  the 
directions,  being  a  foreigner,  and  never  having  been  in  this 
part  before.  I  told  them  that  any  boy  in  England  could  do 
the  same  who  had  been  taught  at  school ;  that  the  setting 
sun  gave  the  points  of  the  compass,  and  all  the  rest  was  a 
matter  of  course.     "Emolto  talento"  was  the  remark  of  all ; 


262  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

but  the  conversation  was  suddenly  stopped  by  an  apparition 
a  very  little  way  from  us.  We  saw  a  great  gaunt  figure, 
with  long  ears,  looking  at  us  intently.  "A  wolf!  a  wolf!" 
was  whispered  round ;  and,  without  moving,  we  all  looked 
at  our  visitor.  At  last  Generoso  got  too  excited,  and  ran 
toward  it,  intending  to  have  a  shot  at  it ;  but  Manzo  for- 
bade him ;  and  at  the  sound  of  a  human  voice  the  beast 
disappeared.  I  asked  if  wolves  were  common  in  these  parts, 
and  was  told  that  there  were  several  about,  especially  in 
winter,  and  that  they  carry  off  many  sheep  and  lambs.  We 
soon  saw  the  wolf  again,  trotting  along  the  ridge  on  our 
left,  about  half  a  mile  off.  He  did  not  go  farther,  but  sat  up 
again  on  his  haunches,  and  did  not  take  his  eyes  off  us.  We 
looked  at  him  through  the  telescope,  and  a  savage  beast  he 
appeared.  At  last,  after  sitting  quiet  for  ten  minutes,  he 
jumped  from  stone  to  stone,  coming  toward  us;  but  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  him,  and  did  not  see  him  again.  He  evi- 
dently wished  to  pass  in  our  direction,  probably  in  search 
of  water. 

It  was  considered  a  most  fortunate  omen  by  the  brigands ; 
for  who,  they  said,  are  greater  wolves  than  we  are  ?  and 
they  all  determined  to  call  this  place  Lup1  a  Lup,  as  they 
expressed  it  in  their  barbarous  dialect.  I  noticed  here  a 
pair  of  ring  ouzels,  which  kept  flying  from  rock  to  rock ; 
also  two  jays,  which  flew  screaming  past  us. 

When  it  grew  sufficiently  dark,  we  descended  over  the 
loose  stones.  It  was  blowing  rather  hard,  and  I  had  to  tie 
my  cap  on  with  a  handkerchief  to  prevent  it  from  being 
blown  away.  The  brigands  were  most  anxious  that  I  should 
put  on  my  cloak,  on  account  of  the  cold ;  but  I  found  it  so 
much  in  my  way  going  down  steep  places,  that  I  generously 
lent  it  to  one  of  them  who  was  without  one.  I  found  it 
most  difficult  to  keep  pace  with  them,  for,  as  I  said,  they  ran 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  11  to  22.  263 

down  the  mountain  sides  like  goats.  At  last,  after  some 
hours'  work,  we  came  to  cultivated  land,  and  we  ran  down 
full  pace.  Then  I  could  outstrip  them,  for  I  was  not  afraid 
of  the  loose  stones.  At  the  bottom  we  passed  over  a  good 
deal  of  land  covered  with  rye  which  was  nearly  ripe,  and, 
as  I  went  along,  I  plucked  several  ears,  which  I  put  in  my 
pockets.  At  last  we  came  to  where  the  mountain  stream 
had  cut  a  deep  course  in  the  solid  rock,  where,  after  rain,  it 
ran  thirty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  adjacent  ground.  We 
had  some  difficulty  in  getting  down  to  the  bottom,  and,  after 
walking  a  little  way,  found  several  pools  of  water  which  had 
not  yet  evaporated.  It  was  not  at  all  good,  but  we  drank 
it  eagerly,  for  we  had  been  walking  some  time,  and  had  noth- 
ing to  drink  for  over  ten  hours.  We  walked  on,  over  the 
polished  stone  and  dried  mud  brought  down  from  the  mount- 
ain sides,  and  passed  down  perpendicular  places  the  tops  of 
which  were  scooped  out  by  the  rapid  winter  torrent. 

At  last  we  came  to  a  place  by  the  side  of  a  giant  trunk 
of  a  tree,  which  showed  the  force  of  the  water  that  had 
carried  it  down  such  a  way  from  where  it  grew.  Here  a 
fire  was  to  be  made,  to  cook  two  legs  of  mutton  that  the 
provident  Lorenzo  had  hidden  from  the  harpies  in  the  morn- 
ing. Wood  was  collected,  and,  contrary  to  my  usual  custom, 
I  assisted  in  the  work,  and,  sitting  on  the  large  stem,  broke 
off  pieces  from  the  parts  that  had  become  decayed  by  time. 
But,  when  all  was  ready,  it  was  discovered,  to  our  great  dis- 
may, that  there  were  no  matches,  for  they  had  used  the  last 
one  in  lighting  their  pipes  in  the  afternoon.  But  the  old 
hands  knew  a  trick  or  two,  and  obtained  fire  from  a  percus- 
sion cap  in  the  following  way :  Some  tow  was  rubbed  in 
their  hands,  and  a  little  gunpowder  from  a  carti'idge  sprink- 
led among  it.  A  needle  was  then  passed  through  this,  and 
the  inside  of  the  cap  was  scratched  with  the  point  of  it. 


264  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

After  a  few  minutes  the  cap  exploded,  and  the  ignited  tow 
was  carefully  blown  to  spread  the  smouldering  sparks.  The 
tow  was  then  covered  with  dry  leaves,  and,  after  a  gentle 
fanning  with  small  twigs,  it  was  fairly  blown  upon,  and  a 
blaze  appeared.  In  a  few  minutes  the  meat  was  roasting  on 
spits.  Some  bushes  grew  by  the  side  of  the  great  log  which 
was  at  least  from  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  on  each 
side  rose  the  white  rock  inclosing  the  rugged  bed  of  the 
torrent,  while  above  us  was  a  lovely  sky,  with  the  stars 
shining,  as  they  know  how  to  shine  in  a  southern  clime,  all 
the  brighter  from  there  being  no  moon. 

Around  the  fire,  illuminated  by  its  blaze,  were  Manzo  and 
his  men,  all  watching  with  intense  interest  the  preparation 
of  their  meal.  When  it  was  ready  the  others  wanted,  as 
usual,  to  stint  me  in  my  allowance ;  but  Manzo  interfered, 
and  gave  me  twice  as  much  as  any  one  else,  and  reading 
them  a  lecture  the  while  for  not  treating  me  more  kindly. 
We  had  no  bread ;  but  I  had  got  used  to  anything  or  noth- 
ing now.  The  great  thing  was  to  get  something,  however 
little  it  might  be.  The  captain  now  appealed  to  me  to  know 
when  the  moon  would  rise,  for  it  was  too  dark  to  think  of 
moving  without  great  necessity.  I  referred  to  my  little  six- 
penny Letts' s  Diary  that  I  had  with  me  when  captured,  and 
in  which  I  wrote  my  notes,  and  told  him  about  two  hours 
before  day.  We  then  lay  down  in  the  river  bed  on  the  hard 
stones,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  When  I  was  kicked  up  by 
Scope,  the  moon  was  high  and  shining  brightly.  We  left 
the  river,  and  were  soon  ascending  again,  and  in  a  couple  of 
hours  came  to  a  halt  in  a  thick  wood,  where  we  waited  all 
day  for  the  rest  of  the  band. 

July  18.  I  had  saved  a  cubic  inch  of  meat;  but,  with  the 
exception  of  this  and  the  ears  of  rye  I  had  in  my  pocket, 
I  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  all  day.     I  was  made  to  write 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moem,  July  Yl  to  22.  265 

more  letters  to-day,  and  was  still  compelled  to  demand 
50,000  ducats,  notwithstanding  all  my  entreaties  and  re- 
monstrances. "  Write  as  I  tell  you,"  being  the  only  re- 
sponse I  could  get  from  the  captain.  He  told  me,  however, 
that  when  the  next  messengers  arrived  from  Giffoni  perhaps 
he  might  write  for  a  little  less ;  there  had  been  a  grand  talk 
a  few  days  before  among  the  band,  and  there  was  a  pretty 
general  consent  to  take  30,000  ducats,  but  they  still  had  the 
idea  that  the  government  would  have  to  pay  for  me,  and 
firmly  believed  that  all  the  money  was  at  Salerno,  and  they 
expected  it  all  when  the  messenger  arrived.  They  little 
knew  what  use  I  had  made  of  the  permission  to  insert  a 
few  lines  in  English  in  my  last  letter.  If  they  had  only 
known  that  I  had  requested  my  friends  to  pay  the  whole 
sum !  How  I  longed  to  write  just  one  line  more  to  tell  my 
friends  that  perhaps  30,000  ducats  would  be  accepted  after 
all,  but  not  one  word  would  Manzo  allow ;  he  carefully  read 
over  every  line  to  guard  against  it. 

Early  in  the  morning,  when  all  the  men  were  asleep,  I 
saw  Manzo  sitting  up  and  writing  a  letter,  and  as  he  cleai'ly 
did  not  wish  me  to  know  any  thing  about  it,  I  pretended  to 
be  asleep. 

About  the  middle  of  the  day  we  started  off  again,  and 
made  our  way  through  the  thick  wood  and  fern.  After 
about  two  hours  walking  we  came  to  a  deep  gully,  down 
the  rocky  sides  of  which  we  descended  with  great  difficul- 
ty, and  then  climbed  up  a  steep  bank  covered  with  the  dead 
leaves  of  many  past  autumns.  Here  I  was  ordered  to  he 
down,  which  I  did  with  difficulty,  resting  my  feet  against 
one  of  the  trees  growing  there.  These  sloping  banks  I  dis- 
liked immensely ;  many  a  time  I  had  to  sleep  on  them,  and 
all  night  I  would  keep  slipping  down.  I  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  manage  the  operation  as  they  all  did.     I  firmly  be- 

M 


266  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

lieve  that  any  brigand  would  sleep  soundly  on  a  bank  at  an 
inclination  of  80  degrees,  and  he  would  hang  on  by  one  el- 
bow, and  never  move  all  night. 

After  being  here  about  an  hour,  a  rustling  of  the  leaves 
and  a  snapping  of  dry  twigs  told  us  all  (for  by  this  time 
my  hearing  had  grown  quite  as  sharp  as  my  captors)  that 
some  one  was  near.  "  Sono  Christian^  was  whispered 
round  (for  among  the  brigands  every  human  being  goes  by 
the  name  of  a  Christian) ;  their  guns  were  all  pointed  in 
the  direction  from  which  the  noise  came,  and  the  captain 
and  Justi  crept  noiselessly  across  the  gully,  and  hid  them- 
selves in  bushes  on  the  other  side.  The  comers  proved  to 
be  twenty  goats  accompanied  by  a  boy,  who  was  pounced 
upon  by  Manzo  and  Justi  when  he  reached  their  place  of 
concealment.  The  poor  little  fellow  was  very  frightened 
at  first,  but  soon  recovered,  and  all  three  sat  down,  while 
the  boy  was  carefully  questioned  by  the  two  brigands. 
They  were  too  far  off  for  me  to  hear  what  passed,  but  I 
could  see  the  little  fellow  gesticulating  with  his  arms,  most 
probably  assuring  them  that  he  would  do  all  they  required, 
when  they  threatened  to  cut  his  throat  should  he  attempt 
to  betray  them.  This  scene  always  takes  place  when  the 
brigands  fall  in  with  peasants  whom  they  do  not  know,  es- 
pecially in  a  strange  district  such  as  that  in  which  we  had 
been  for  the  last  month.  The  number  of  troops  in  their 
old  haunts  about  Gifibni  and  Acerno  had,  as  I  have  said  be- 
fore, rendered  it  necessary  for  them  to  seek  new  quarters. 
Two  or  three  times  the  shepherd  boy  ran  off  on  an  errand 
to  procure  bread  and  meat,  and  as  often  was  he  recalled 
and  rethreatened.  I  presume  the  goats  would  have  been 
missed,  and  the  captain  was  unwilling  to  let  it  be  known  in 
the  plain  below  that  we  were  in  the  neighborhood ;  for  the 
goats  are  taken  down  twice  a  day  to  be  milked  at  the  houses 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  11  to  22.  267 

where  milk  is  required.  When  the  goats  and  the  goatherd 
had  left  this  part,  we  went  on  a  little  farther  to  the  east, 
and  found  a  level  place,  which  we  made  our  head-quarters 
for  some  time. 

Two  or  three  of  the  men  went  away,  and  returned  in  an 
hour  Avith  a  black  sheep  and  a  goat :  these  were  taken  a  lit- 
tle higher  up  the  gully  where  we  had  rested,  and  a  fire  was 
speedily  made  with  the  aid  of  a  percussion  cap,  as  before. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  a  very  deep  coating  of  leaves, 
which  were  all  removed  before  the  fire  was  lighted,  for  fear 
of  their  making  a  smoke ;  and  before  it  was  dark  both  these 
poor  animals  had  disappeared  down  the  throats  of  the  de- 
tachment of  the  band,  consisting  of  eight  persons  only !  It 
was  fearful  to  see  them  eat  this  mass  of  meat  without 
bread.  Manzo  was  most  pressing  that  I  should  eat  as  they 
did ;  for,  notwithstanding  the  abundance,  some  of  them 
grudged  every  morsel  I  ate,  and  he  had  to  lecture  them 
again  on  the  way  they  treated  the  poor  foreigner.  "  Is  he 
not  a  Christian  ?"  said  he  to  Pasquale ;  "why  should  he  not 
eat  as  well  as  you  ?"  This  Pasquale  was  one  of  Cerino's 
band,  and  did  not  participate  in  the  ransom  money  which 
was  paid  for  Mr.  Aynsley  and  me,  and  he  had  not  at  all  ap- 
proved of  the  way  in  which  he  had  been  hunted  about  with 
the  others  by  the  soldiers,  half  starved  for  so  many  weeks. 
In  his  answer  to  the  captain,  he  blamed  the  latter  for  not 
having  cut  off  my  ears  long  ago,  as  he  would  have  done 
had  I  been  an  Italian.  "  Send  his  ears  to  his  friends  at 
once ;  and  if  that  does  not  bring  the  money,  send  his  beard 
with  his  chin  attached  to  it."  Some  of  the  others  agreed 
with  him,  and  there  was  an  animated  debate  on  the  subject, 
all  in  my  hearing.  This,  perhaps,  was  a  good  way  to  teach 
me  the  Neapolitan  dialect,  for  I  could  not  afford  to  lose  a 
single  word  ;  and  every  now  and  then  I  had  to  feel  my  ears, 


268  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  make  sure  they  were  still  my  own  property.  I  told  them 
that  they  had  better  not  touch  me,  for  the  general  would 
kill  all  their  relatives  who  were  in  prison  should  a  hair  of 
my  head  be  hurt ;  and,  to  turn  the  conversation,  I  asked 
Manzo  what  he  would  do  with  Victor  Emmanuel,  should 
he  by  chance  fall  into  his  hands?  They  all  chuckled  at 
such  an  idea,  and  Manzo  declared  that  he  would  have  ten 
millions  of  ducats,  and  then  Jcitt  him.  To  Francesco  II.,  if 
they  caught  him,  they  said  they  would  give  a  good  dinner, 
and  then  release  him. 

Carmine  Amendolo  had  brought  back  with  him  a  very 
curious  pipe  that  he  had  obtained  from  the  shepherds.  It 
was  made  by  them  of  wood,  quaintly  carved,  and  was 
brought  to  me  that  I  might  make  several  like  it,  for  they 
had  the  idea  I  could  do  any  thing  in  that  line.  I  excused 
myself  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  my  knife,  and  the 
want  of  the  right  sort  of  wood.  This  pipe  ultimately  came 
into  my  possession  after  my  liberation,  being  presented  to 
me  by  Mr.  Holme,  who  obtained  it  from  the  officer  who 
captured  Amendolo,  near  Giffoni.* 

When  it  grew  dark,  Manzo  and  all  but  Pavone,  Antonio, 
and  one  other,  went  off  with  the  letters  to  Giffoni,  leaving 
strict  orders  that,  if  the  rest  of  the  band  should  arrive,  they 
were  to  go  on  at  once  without  stopping,  to  join  him  at  an 
appointed  place  near  Acerno.  The  valley  to  the  south  of  us 
ran  the  whole  way  between  the  mountains  to  that  place. 
I  had  seen  Manzo  point  this  out  a  day  or  two  before,  from 

*  Apropos  of  pipes,  I  may  mention  that  I  had  requested  that  a  smart 

pipe  should  be  sent  to  me  that  I  might  present  it  to  Manzo.     H.  C 

accordingly  forwarded  one  from  Salerno ;  but  Manzo  intercepted  it,  and 
appropriated  it  at  once,  thus  saving  me  the  trouble  of  making  a  speech  on 
presenting  it  to  him.  He  did  not,  however,  let  me  know  that  he  had 
taken  it. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moetis,  July  11  to  22.  269 

the  top  of  the  high  mountain  where  we  had  seen  the 
wolf. 

After  they  had  gone,  we  were  all  four  sitting  close  to- 
gether, when  I  noticed  Scope  with  the  point  of  his  gun 
turned  in  the  direction  of  my  head.  I  objected  to  this,  and 
told  him  that  it  was  evident  he  was  not  an  old  brigand,  for 
he  did  not  know  how  to  handle  a  gun.  He  could  not  bear 
being  laughed  at,  so  for  fun  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  be- 
lieve he  could  hit  a  haystack  a  few  yards  off,  and  offered  to 
let  him  shoot  at  me  a  hundred  yards  off  as  often  as  he  liked, 
if  he  would  allow  me  just  one  shot  at  him  first  at  double 
the  distance.  I  added  that  he  would  be  firing  at  me  all 
day  for  nothing,  but  that  I  should  kill  him  the  first  time. 
He  was  speechless  with  rage,  while  his  companions  were 
roaring  with  laughter  at  him ;  but  one  of  them  put  his  fin- 
ger on  his  lips  as  a  sign  to  me  not  to  chaff  him  any  more. 
All  poor  Scope  could  answer  in  return  was  to  recommend 
me  to  go  to  sleep,  which  was  the  equivalent  in  their  lan- 
guage for  a  hint  to  shut  up. 

By-and-by  the  rest  of  the  band  arrived ;  but,  instead  of 
bringing  the  expected  supply  of  food  with  them,  they  had 
eaten  it  all  up  on  the  road,  and  they  were  in  a  great  rage 
at  finding  the  captain  gone  without  them,  and  refused  to 
go  farther  that  night.  Pavone  and  Sentonio  had  a  regular 
quarrel  on  the  subject,  but  it  all  ended  by  our  going  a  lit- 
tle way  to  the  north,  and  lying  down  to  sleep.  They  had 
brought  the  news  that  a  very  large  force  was  concentrated 
round  Giffoni,  and  that,  instead  of  being,  as  usual,  on  the 
plains,  the  troops  were  on  all  the  mountains. 

This  was  important  news,  for  it  placed  Manzo  and  those 
with  him  in  great  danger,  on  account  of  their  knowing 
nothing  about  it.  I  placed  my  wide-awake,  and  the  stick 
that  had  been  my  friend  all  the  time,  against  a  tree  at  my 


2*70         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

feet;  but  in  the  morning,  when  I  was  roused  an  hour  be- 
fore sunrise  in  order  to  get  more  into  the  thick  of  the  wood, 
I  could  see  nothing  of  my  stick.  Pavone  looked  round  for 
it,  but  without  success,  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave  the  place 
without  it.  I  found  out  afterward  that  Scope,  in  revenge 
for  my  having  turned  the  laugh  against  him,  had  thrown  it 
away ;  for  he,  like  all  the  others,  knew  that  I  valued  it,  as  I 
had  cut  an  inscription  on  it.  I  generally  put  it  by  my  side, 
but  to-night  I  had  omitted  to  do  so.  It  was  just  like  losing 
an  old  friend,  and  I  did  not  get  over  the  loss  of  it  for  two 
or  three  days.  Justi  told  me  all  about  it,  and  said  he  would 
cut  me  a  better  one. 

Sentonio,  and  all  except  eight,  now  went  to  overtake  the 
captain,  but  that  night's  delay  on  their  part  kept  me  in  the 
mountains  much  longer  than  I  should  have  been  had  Manzo 
known  the  precautions  the  soldiers  were  taking  to  prevent 
the  money,  which  they  knew  had  been  sent  to  Giffoni,  from 
reaching  the  brigands;  for,  although  the  civil  authorities 
knew  every  thing  my  friends  were  doing,  and  professed  to 
do  all  they  could  for  us,  allowing  Signor  Visconti  to  under- 
take the  task  of  forwarding  the  money,  the  military  author- 
ities were  still  determined  that  the  ransom  should  not  reach 
the  brigands,  and  I  am  afraid  it  gave  them  infinite  vexation 
to  find  out  that  at  last  it  passed  through  their  lines  safely 
into  the  brigands'  hands.  During  the  next  two  days  three 
more  sheep  were  eaten.  The  sheep  in  this  district  were  all 
very  fat,  and  the  brigands'  grease-pouches  (which  they  all 
carried  for  greasing  their  boots  and  shoes)  were  all  filled ; 
and  two  or  three  little  baskets  of  racotta  were  brought  up 
from  the  shepherds.  This  seemed  to  me  most  delicious, 
having  eaten  nothing  but  meat  for  some  days. 

Just  before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  July 
there  was  a  great  alarm  from  the  noise  of  several  persons 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  17  to  22.  271 

coming  up  the  mountain  from  below,  but  on  their  giving 
the  proper  signal  they  were  admitted  past  the  sentinels; 
the  rustling  of  the  leaves  in  the  distance  awoke  me  with 
the  rest,  and  I  saw  four  men,  all  with  guns,  approach  us ; 
one  had  a  cap  on  that  had  belonged  to  a  captain  of  the  na- 
tional guard,  and  military  trowsers  with  a  red  stripe.  I 
could  see  at  once  that  these  were  members  of  another  band 
of  brigands,  and  was  much  amused  at  seeing  the  enthusi- 
astic way  in  which  they  were  received  by  my  guardians, 
who  kissed  them  all  round.  They  had  brought  up  with 
them  a  kind  of  candle  made  by  putting  a  piece  of  linen  rag 
inside  some  fat ;  this  was  lighted,  and  they  all  sat  around, 
discussing  the  last  news.  I  was  introduced  to  them  as  the 
Inglese  about  whom  had  been  so  much  talk  in  the  country, 
and  which  had  of  course  reached  their  ears.. 

The  remains  of  the  evening's  meal  of  meat  was  brought 
to  them  in  the  caldaja  which  the  shepherds  here  had  been 
forced  to  lend  to  the  band,  but  unfortunately  it  had  been 
put  close  to  an  ants'  nest,  and  the  ants  had  found  their  way 
to  the  meat  and  covered  it  by  thousands,  so  that  the  pieces 
required  much  shaking  and  rubbing  before  they  were  eat- 
able. 

There  was  no  more  sleep  that  night,  and  many  were  the 
stories  told  by  the  hosts  and  the  visitors.  These  four  men 
turned  out  to  be  the  remains  of  Giardullo's  band ;  all  the 
others,  after  the  surrender  of  their  captain,  having  followed 
his  example.*  There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  me 
and  the  two  Viscontis,  who  had  paid  their  ransoms ;  and 
the  new-comers — by  name  Carmanocchi,  Carmine,  Frances- 
co, and  another — recounted  the  exploits  of  their  late  band, 
and  how  they  had  been  surprised  in  a  grotto.     Francesco, 

*  The  troops  had  shot  and  wounded  seven,  as  I  before  related  (see  p. 
212). 


272         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

who  wore  the  captain's  hat,  told  how  they  had  taken  pris- 
oners a  captain,  lieutenant,  and  ensign  of  the  national  guard 
all  at  once,  as  they  were  driving  along  the  road ;  they  had 
carbines  with  them,  which,  with  their  uniforms,  etc.,  were 
taken  possession  of  at  once.  They  were  released  after  pay- 
ing a  ransom. 

They  also  told  how  one  day  they  were  walking  along 
with  three  captives,  and  they  had  fallen  in  with  the  troops, 
who  immediately  fired,  and  killed,  not  one  of  the  brigands, 
but  one  of  the  galantuomini !  This  anecdote  was  told  to 
me  with  great  glee.  These  men  were  much  jollier  and 
kinder  to  me  than  the  men  of  Manzo's  and  Cerino's  bands, 
and  always  shared  with  me  their  portions  of  food  if  I  had 
none  of  my  own.  From  what  they  told  me,  I  concluded 
that  Giardullo's  band  was  satisfied  with  much  smaller  ran- 
soms than  Manzo  demanded,  the  figure  being  generally  from 
5000  to  8000  ducats.  The  new-comers  were  well  supplied 
with  powder,  caps,  and  balls,  dividing  the  percussion  caps 
with  those  who  wanted  them.  I  asked  them  how  they 
knew  we  were  in  this  part,  and  ascertained  that  they  had 
learned  it  from  the  shepherds,  who  communicate  the  move- 
ments of  the  brigands  to  one  another  with  astonishing  ra- 
pidity. They  knew  this  part  of  the  country  well,  and  di- 
rected my  guardians  to  go  to  some  shepherds  two  or  three 
miles  from  us  to  the  southwest,  as  our  other  shepherd-friends 
had  refused  to  bring  any  more  racotta,  or  even  to  let  us 
have  any  more  sheep. 

All  but  three  went  foraging,  and,  after  a  good  meal  of 
milk  and  bread  at  the  place  where  the  sheep  were,  brought 
back  a  little  pail  of  milk  and  a  round  loaf  of  bread  for  us. 
The  bread  was  sopped  in  the  milk,  and  I,  with  the  three 
brigands,  sat  round  the  pail  and  made  a  good  breakfast, 
though  at  the  early  hour  of  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  17  to  22.  27a 

July  21.  This  was  the  last  food  I  was  destined  to  taste 
for  three  days.  During  the  night  we  were  kept  awake  by 
a  slight  noise  as  of  some  one  walking  three  or  four  hundred 
yards  off;  this  was  heard  at  intervals  for  two  hours,  and  at 
last  was  ascribed  to  some  wild  animal.  In  the  afternoon  I 
most  fortunately  cut  another  walking -stick  of  sycamore, 
Justi  not  having  been  able  to  find  a  holly-tree  for  me,  which 
wood  makes  the  lightest  and  best  sticks.  Though  heavy 
at  first,  it  soon  got  lighter  as  the  sap  dried  up.  During  the 
day  Manzo  and  his  men  returned  suddenly,  and  I  saw  at 
once  something  was  wrong  —  they  had  not  been  able  to 
communicate  with  my  friends  at  Giffoni.  They  were  in  a 
dreadful  state,  having  been  walking  the  last  three  days  and 
nights  incessantly,  without  having  had  any  thing  to  eat,  and 
they  were  of  course  grievously  disappointed  at  our  having 
no  food  for  them,  and  vented  their  feelings  accordingly  by 
abusing  and  threatening  me.  Their  eyes  were  red  and  glis- 
tening from  the  feverish  state  in  which  they  were  from 
over-fatigue  and  want  of  food ;  their  clothing,  too,  was  very 
much  torn,  and  covered  with  dirt  and  dust,  and  the  majori- 
ty of  them  were  very  foot-sore.  For  a  long  time  I  was 
afraid  to  ask  them  any  questions,  going  on  the  principle  of 
"  least  said  the  soonest  mended,"  especially  as  the  question 
of  cutting  off  my  ears,  etc.,  was  again  discussed.  At  last  I 
learned  that  there  were  4000  soldiers  concentrated  round 
Giffoni,  and  posts  on  all  the  mountains,  so  that  the  brigands 
were  unable  to  remain  near  the  town ;  and  besides  this,  the 
peasants  would  not  provide  any  bread.  Acerno  and  Giffo- 
ni were  described  as  depopulated. 

I  farther  heard  that  Lorenzo,  Amendolo,  Vaccara,  and  two 
others,  had  been  left  behind  to  endeavor  to  get  the  money, 
and  that  they  were  down  in  the  plain  inside  the  cordon  of 
the  military  force.     My  friend  Justi  told  me  to  cheer  up, 

M2 


274         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

for  he  had  no  donbt  they  would  be  able  to  get  the  money, 
as  my  letters  had  been  sent  in  safety  to  Signor  Visconti's 
house.  In  one  of  these  I  had  asked  my  friends  to  send  me 
some  American  tobacco,  in  order  to  soothe  the  minds  of 
some  of  the  brigands,  who  wished  to  hasten  the  arrival  of 
the  money  by  depriving  me  of  my  ears. 

(I  presume  these  letters,  with  one  to  Signor  Visconti  ask- 
ing him  to  send  on  the  money  deposited  in  his  house  for 
that  purpose,  were  all  lost  or  destroyed  by  the  messenger 
who  carried  them,  for  the  five  men  above-mentioned  could 
produce  no  authority  from  me  to  receive  the  money  from 
Signor  Visconti,  and  after  a  few  days  they  were  all  cap- 
tured, as  is  related  elsewhere.) 

In  the  afternoon  a  wood-cutter  was  commissioned  to  bring 
up  bread  to  the  shepherd's  fire,  and  thirty  ducats  given  to 
him  for  that  purpose.  At  dusk  the  band  went  toward  the 
shepherd's  station,  and  when  we  came  to  the  place  where 
my  stick  had  been  thrown  away,  I  was  left  behind  under 
the  charge  of  Pavone,  Sentonio,  and  Scope.  Sentonio  grum- 
bled much  at  being  left,  for  he  had  been  to  Giffoni  with  the 
captain,  and  had  not  eaten  any  thing  for  more  than  three 
days ;  he  stipulated  that  a  good  supply  of  milk  and  bread 
should  be  brought  back.  Those  who  went  left  their  capotes 
with  us,  and  we  settled  down  for  two  or  three  hours'  sleep ; 
a  long  march  was  in  store  when  the  band  returned  from 
the  shepherd's.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  they  left 
us,  they  having  descended  into  a  little  valley  and  ascended 
the  opposite  hill,  we  heard  the  dreaded  cry  "A  te  cK  h  la?" 
— the  challenge  of  the  Italian  soldier — and  immediately  two 
or  three  shots  were  fired,  the  new-comer  in  the  captain's 
cap  firing  first,  Manzo  coming  next  in  order.  After  this 
there  was  a  volley  from  the  troops,  and  then  the  firing  be- 
came general,  all  their  balls  coming  straight  in  our  direc- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  17  to  22.  275 

tion.  After  this  I  distinctly  heard  the  "Avanti,  avanti" 
of  the  Italian  officers,  encouraging  their  men  to  the  attack. 
We  all  rose  and  took  shelter  behind  the  trees,  for  the  balls 
were  unpleasantly  near  our  heads.  The  engagement  lasted 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  the  filing  gradually 
ceased,  a  few  dropping  shots  only  being  heard  afterward. 
Pavone  and  Sentonio  soon  made  up  their  minds  to  be  off, 
talking  much  about  the  tradimento  that  had  evidently  taken 
place ;  and,  leaving  every  thing  behind  them,  drove  me  be- 
fore them  in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  whence  I  had 
heard  the  voices  of  the  Italian  officers. 

"We  traveled  toward  the  north  at  first,  then  eastward 
down  the  mountain  side,  as  my  keepers  hoped  thei'e  to  fall 
in  with  the  rest  of  the  band,  who  were  supposed  to  have 
run  in  that  direction.  "We  were  in  a  desperate  plight  and 
without  money,  and  I  now  began  to  be  very  apprehensive 
lest  we  should  uot  fall  in  with  the  others,  as  I  knew  well 
the  vengeful  feeling  entertained  toward  me  by  the  men  who 
had  charge  of  me,  now  that  they  were  excited  by  the  recent 
skirmish.  Backward  and  forward  we  walked  for  hours, 
hunting  the  ground  like  pointers,  but  nothing  was  to  be 
seen  of  our  game,  and  it  was  impossible  to  make  signals, 
because  the  soldiers  might  be  near.  At  last  Sentonio  grew 
almost  mad  with  despair  and  hunger,  and  two  or  three 
times  ran  at  me,  flinging  his  arms  about  in  the  wildest  man- 
ner, and  tearing  his  hair  out  in  handfuls.  I  kept  as  far 
from  him  as  I  could ;  but  Pavone,  who  was  afraid  of  losing 
me,  made  me  keep  close  between  him  and  his  maddened 
comrade.  I  fully  expected  to  be  murdered  every  moment ; 
but,  after  a  time,  Sentonio  calmed  down  and  became  almost 
childish  in  his  manner.  After  a  consultation  we  directed 
our  course  to  the  south,  walking  over  the  roughest  rocks ; 
and  at  last  descending  to  a  stream  by  a  most  difficult  route, 


2lQ         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

I  drank  a  quantity  of  water,  which  had  to  suffice  me  for  the 
three  next  days,  during  which  we  could  get  neither  water 
nor  snow. 

After  crossing  the  stream,  we  passed  a  short  way  along 
a  mule-path,  and  then  walking  through  some  standing  wheat 
and  rye,  with  which  I  filled  my  pockets,  soon  began  to  as- 
cend a  very  steep  mountain.  Sentonio  was  speedily  so 
worn  out  from  his  three  days'  walk  to  and  from  Giffoni  that 
he  could  go  no  farther,  and  all  three  of  us  lay  down.  I  was 
so  tired  with  ten  hours'  walking  that  I  did  not  unroll  the 
heavy  capote,  but,  resting  my  head  on  it,  was  instantly 
asleep.  In  the  morning  of  the  22d  I  was  so  stiff  from  the 
exposure  to  the  night  air  after  walking  that  I  could  hardly 
move ;  but  the  stiff  climbing,  at  which  I  was  compelled  to 
set  to,  soon  relaxed  my  muscles.  Sentonio  was  very  weak, 
and  could  only  go  a  short  way,  and  then  he  had  to  rest 
a  while.  We  passed  some  great  rocks  and  large  caves,  and 
after  two  or  three  hours  rested  in  a  small  grotto  for  some 
considerable  time. 

I  was  placed  inside,  while  Sentonio  and  Pavone  laid  their 
carcasses  across  the  entrance,  side  by  side,  and  Scope  sat  a 
little  on  one  side,  out  of  our  sight,  keeping  guard.  The 
two  former  soon  fell  fast  asleep ;  and  Scope  took  off  his 
shirt  for  the  purpose  of  freeing  it  from  vermin,  having 
moved  two  or  three  yards  away  from  his  gun  in  order  to 
get  into  the  sun.  I  could  not  go  to  sleep,  so  I  amused  my- 
self watching  the  beautiful  butterflies  of  many  species  that 
kept  flying  about  the  face  of  the  limestone  rock,  when  sud- 
denly a  new  thought  struck  me.  My  eye  fell  on  the  guns 
of  the  two  men  sleeping  in  front  of  me;  one  was  a  double- 
barreled  one  and  the  other  single,  and  both  were  lying 
within  reach  of  my  arm  without  my  moving.  Here  was 
the  first  time  that  I  had  met  with  any  thing  like  an  oppor- 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moans,  July  17  to  22.  277 

t  unity  of  escaping ;  but,  to  take  advantage  of  it,  I  must  Lave 
shot  two  men,  and  then  have  been  ready  to  shoot  the  third 
if  he  attempted  to  move.  It  was  easy  of  execution,  and  I 
could  not  fail,  there  being  no  more  of  the  band  near,  and  I 
knew  the  way  to  the  path  we  had  crossed  not  very  far  off", 
which  led  to  the  town  a  little  to  the  eastward.  It  was  very 
tempting,  and  I  set  to  work  deliberately  to  think  it  over ; 
but  the  more  I  considered,  the  more  my  mind  revolted  from 
shooting  in  cold  blood  two  sleeping  men,  both  of  whom  had 
always  treated  me  as  kindly  as  their  circumstances  would 
permit,  and  the  probability  of  having  to  shoot  a  third 
— though  perhaps  I  should  have  had  less  compunction  in 
his  case  than  in  that  of  the  other  two.  I  also  thought  that, 
sooner  or  later,  our  ransom  would  be  paid,  and  that  my  life 
was  not  in  immediate  danger.  If  it  had  been,  it  would  have 
been  very  different,  and  probably  I  should  not  have  hesita- 
ted, but  should  have  felt  myself  fully  justified  in  doing  any 
thing.  I  also  thought  of  the  remorse  I  should  feel  after- 
ward if  my  plan  was  successful.  It  is  a  very  different  mat- 
ter to  kill  a  man  or  two  in  the  excitement  of  a  regular  hand- 
to-hand  fight,  but  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  do  this  sort 
of  cold-blooded  murder. 

So,  to  divert  my  mind,  I  took  out  my  Prayer-book  and 
read  the  Psalms,  when — very  curiously,  and  as  if  to  guide 
me — I  came  across  the  passage,  "Deliver  me  from  blood- 
guiltiness,  O  Lord  !"  This  struck  me  so  forcibly  that  it  ap- 
peared to  me  as  if  sent  for  my  special  guidance,  and  it  con- 
firmed me  in  the  determination  to  which  I  had  come.  "What 
a  relief  this  was  to  me !  The  half  hour  I  had  been  ponder- 
ing over  the  matter  was,  I  think,  one  of  my  hardest  trials, 
and  thankful  I  am  that  I  did  not  give  way  to  impulse,  and 
blaze  away  without  reflection. 

I  next  amused  myself  by  picking  out  the  grains  of  wheat 


278  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

and  rye  from  the  ears  I  had  plucked,  and  ate  them  thankful- 
ly with  the  crumbs  from  the  bottom  of  my  pockets,  which 
I  had  carefully  to  examine  in  order  to  separate  the  earth 
and  dust  there  was  mixed  with  them.  Some  cattle  now 
passed  quite  close  to  us :  this  woke  up  the  sleepers. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  July  22  to  31.  279 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Diary  of  Mr.  Morns,  July  22  to  31. 

My  Guardians  are  without  Money. — A  bad  Look-out. — My  Penknife  put 
to  a  new  Use. — Meat  and  Fuel,  but  no  Fire. — Necessity  is  the  Mother 
of  Invention. — The  Attack  of  the  Soldiers  explained. — Failure  when 
Success  seemed  certain. — Scarcity  of  Water. — An  Attempt  at  Bribery. 
— A  cheerless  Spot. — They  play  me  a  shabby  Trick. — Manzo  arrives 
again. — An  Abode  assigned  to  me  for  the  next  Fortnight. — Traces  of 
Giardullo's  precious  Tenancy. — An  Attempt  at  Washing. — No  Food  for 
three  Days. — A  little  raw  rancid  Fat. — A  Bone. — I  feed  in  a  decidedly 
canine  Manner. — Two  more  days  without  Food. — I  am  at  the  last  Ex- 
tremity.— Great  Hardships. — Manzo  joins  us  again. — I  write  once  more 
at  his  Dictation. — Cerino's  Discomfiture. 

July  22.  We  recommenced  our  weary  way.  It  was  only 
possible  to  go  slowly,  on  account  of  the  weak  state  of  Sen- 
tonio,  who  required  rest  every  ten  minutes;  tighter  and 
tighter  he  drew  his  belt,*  and  every  time  he  groaned  over 
the  number  of  holes  in  the  strap  outside  the  buckle.  He 
did  not  expect  to  be  able  to  procure  any  food  for  the  next 
two  days.  All  hope  of  finding  the  band  in  this  part  of  the 
country  was  gone,  and  his  pluck  began  to  give  way.  Pa- 
vone  told  me  that  they  knew  the  point  for  which  the  band 
would  make,  but  it  was  a  long  way  off,  and  there  was  no 
chance  of  meeting  them  before  Sunday,  whereas  to-day  was 
only  Friday. 

*  This  was  their  way  of  screwing  themselves  up  when  suffering  from  fa- 
tigue or  hunger. 


280  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

They  did  not  like  being  without  any  money ;  so,  to  cheer 
up  Sentonio,  I  told  him  I  had  a  Napoleon  and  a  half,  for  I 
did  not  like  the  idea  of  his  getting  desperate,  remembering 
his  frantic  state  the  night  before.  A  complete  change  came 
over  his  face,  and  he  said  they  would  soon  get  food  now 
that  there  was  money,  and,  curiously  enough,  I  heard  the 
tinkle  of  sheep  higher  up  the  mountain.  My  keepers  told 
me  there  were  none  there,  but  in  a  minute  or  two  they  too 
heard  the  sound  clearly,  and  determined  to  have  a  sheep  at 
all  cost.  They  asked  me  for  the  money ;  I  gave  it  to  them, 
but  did  not  tell  them  I  had  another  Napoleon  in  reserve  for 
another  occasion.  Scope  was  sent  on  ahead  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sheep,  and  we  followed  more  slowly.  At  last 
we  came  to  them,  and  I  was  made  to  sit  down  while  Pa- 
vone  and  Scope  bargained  for  the  sheep.  Pavone  milked  a 
goat  into  the  top  of  his  wide-awake,  but  he  would  not  give 
me  any  of  the  milk,  though  I  was  suffering  much  from 
thirst.  The  shepherd  came  down  with  a  sheep  to  us,  and 
my  half  Napoleon  was  given  to  him  as  a  complimento,  and 
I  got  into  a  scrape  because  I  looked  at  him.  Very  few 
minutes  were  lost  before  the  poor  sheep  was  killed  and 
skinned,  my  tiny  penknife  being  borrowed  for  the  latter 
operation,  because  it  was  sharper  than  the  other  knife  they 
had. 

But,  when  all  was  ready,  the  discovery  was  made  that 
there  were  no  matches,  and  no  needle  to  do  the  percussion 
cap  trick  with.  Scope  was  sent  back  to  the  shepherd,  but 
lie  could  not  help  us.  We  all  looked  at  each  other  in  a 
most  despairing  manner,  when  suddenly  the  thought  struck 
me  that  my  penknife  was  of  excellent  steel,  and  would  do 
as  well  as,  or  better  than  a  needle.  They  shook  their  heads 
at  my  idea,  but  I  told  them  to  try,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
had  a  blazing  fire ;  it  was  an  exposed  position,  but  hunger 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moetis,  July  22  to  31.  281 

was  not  to  be  denied.  As  a  great  favor,  I  helped  to  collect 
wood,  and  we  sat  round  the  fire  watching  the  roasting  of 
the  meat.  Pavone  gave  me  the  heart  as  a  treat,  and  we 
made  a  good  meal,  that  is,  as  good  as  we  could  without 
bread  or  water.  As  soon  as  we  were  satisfied,  the  fire  put 
out,  and  the  remainder  of  the  sheep  stowed  away  in  their 
pockets,  they  hurried  from  the  spot,  fearing  lest  the  soldiers 
might  have  observed  the  fire.  It  was  very  lucky  finding 
this  flock  of  sheep,  for  they  were  on  their  way  down  the 
mountain  to  go  to  the  water,  as  they  do  every  other  day, 
and  had  we  been  ten  minutes  later  we  should  have  missed 
our  supply  of  food.  We  went  on  much  more  cheerily  now, 
and  in  a  short  time  came  to  a  place  where  we  had  a  good 
view  of  the  direction  we  were  to  take.  Up  the  valley  to 
the  west  there  was  a  great  smoke  rising  out  of  a  wood,  and 
this  was  set  down  as  coming  from  a  fire  made  by  the  sol- 
diers (this  I  learned  afterward  was  the  case).  It  was  a 
lovely  view  facing  the  west.  We  saw  on  the  right  the 
mountain  of  Calabritto,  where  we  had  passed  the  last  week, 
its  gentle  slope  down  to  the  valley  clothed  in  many  places 
with  wooded  clumps;  we  saw  the  place  where  the  fight 
with  the  soldiers  had  taken  place  the  evening  before ;  the 
shepherd  had  been  questioned  about  it,  and  he  told  the 
brigands  that  none  of  their  party  had  been  hurt,  but  that 
two  of  the  soldiers  had  been  wounded,  and  that  the  last 
shots  came  from  the  soldiers  firing  at  Guange  at  a  dis- 
tance as  he  crossed  the  river,  and  that  he  stopped  in  the 
middle  and  returned  the  compliment  with  both  barrels. 
The  brigands,  after  the  first  firing,  made  their  way  down 
the  mountain. 

The  wood-cutter  wrho  had  received  thirty  ducats  to  take 
up  bread  thought  it  better  to  send  up  a  hundred  soldiers  in- 
stead of  the  loaves,  and  these  hundred  men  were  stationed 


282  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

in  three  companies :  one  at  the  flock  of  sheep,  and  one  on 
each  side,  so  that  the  brigands  could  not  fail  of  falling  into 
the  ambuscade.  After  hearing  the  details  from  Pavone, 
which  he  had  keard  from  the  shepherd  (and  which  I  found 
correct  on  my  arrival  at  Giffoni  after  my  liberation),  I  was 
much  astonished  at  the  band  getting  off  so  easily.  This 
shows  the  difficulty  there  is  in  putting  down  brigandage 
with  the  military  force,  for  all  turned  out  exactly  as  had 
been  expected,  the  band  walking  right  up  to  the  lion's 
mouth,  and  yet  the  lion  was  obliged  to  be  content  with  a 
roar  or  two,  without  inflicting  any  injury  on  his  intended 
victim. 

The  valley  ran  a  very  long  way  between  the  mountains, 
and  in  the  extreme  distance  over  it  I  could  discern  the  sea. 
To  the  south  of  the  valley  there  were  dense  forests  cloth- 
ing all  the  slope  of  the  mountains. 

The  brigands  pointed  out  the  way  we  had  to  go  toward 
the  S.W.  It  did  not  look  at  all  tempting  —  forest  and  up- 
hill work  all  the  way  for  miles  and  miles.  By  midnight  we 
had  gone  a  long  way,  suffering  dreadfully  from  thirst,  and 
not  finding  any  water  or  snow  in  the  deep  gullies,  which 
were  all  anxiously  examined,  and  then  piously  cursed  by 
Sentonio  and  the  two  others  for  not  containing  any  refresh- 
ment. 

Jidy  23.  We  slept  for  four  or  five  hours,  and  then  went 
on  again.  Suddenly  Scope  rushed  forward  to  a  hollow  rot- 
ten log,  and  began  to  suck  up  some  foetid  water  that  had 
been  left  by  the  last  rain  days  before.  I  was  only  just  al- 
lowed to  put  my  lips  to  it,  and  was  pulled  away  from  it 
without  my  being  able  to  get  more  than  a  mouthful,  but 
perhaps  it  was  better  for  me,  as  the  fluid  tasted  most  nau- 
seously of  decayed  matter. 

As  we  walked  on  I  found  two  or  three  ripe  strawberries, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Mbens,  July  22  to  31.  283 

which  were  most  grateful  to  my  parched  mouth,  and  by- 
and-by  they  appeared  in  great  abundance  in  a  lovely  glade 
through  which  we  passed.  We  spent  an  hour  picking  and 
eating  this  delicious  fruit.  At  midday  we  dined  on  some 
of  the  sheep,  but  no  water  or  snow  was  obtainable.  I  tried 
again  to  bribe  the  three  men  who  had  charge  of  me,  offer- 
ing them  3000  ducats,  and  to  obtain  a  free  pardon  for  them 
if  they  would  deliver  me  up  to  the  authorities.  Pavone  was 
inclined  to  listen  to  me ;  but  when  he  consulted  Sentonio 
on  the  subject,  the  latter  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  at- 
tempted any  thing  of  the  kind. 

In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the  top  of  Monte  Neve, 
having  been  two  days  and  the  most  of  two  nights  in  per- 
forming this  task,  and  I  was  informed  that  the  descent  to 
the  south  was  so  steep  that  two  hours  were  sufficient  to 
gain  the  plain.  To  our  great  delight,  snow  was  found  here, 
and,  after  satisfying  our  craving  thirst,  we  set  large  pieces 
up  on  slabs  of  wood  left  by  the  woodcutters,  and  the  water 
trickling  down,  gave  us  a  good  supply.  Scope  as  usual 
grudged  me  even  the  snow,  though  there  was  an  abund- 
ance. A  flock  of  sheep  passed  near,  and  Sentonio  obtained 
from  the  shepherd  a  little  tobacco  and  a  tiny  piece  of  maize 
bread,  which  he  carefully  divided  among  all,  giving  us  just 
two  mouthfuls  apiece. 

The  forest  at  the  top  of  the  mountain  was  composed  of 
most  enormous  beeches,  standing  some  little  distance  from 
each  other.  Two  or  three  years  ago  a  great  number  were 
felled  and  left  to  rot  on  the  ground.  In  one  place  there 
was  great  difficulty  in  making  our  way,  as  we  had  to  clam- 
ber over  these  dead  giants.  I  was  not  allowed  to  remain 
where  I  could  see  all  the  plain  below,  with  the  well-known 
temples  at  Psestum,  and  the  two  streams  which  united  to 
form  the  river.     But  I  now  knew  our  position :  on  the  high 


284         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

mountain  to  the  south  of  the  mountains  of  the  province  of 
Salerno.  Just  one  month  ago  I  was  at  the  north  of  the 
province  of  Avellino,  having  traversed  all  the  eastern  side 
of  this  mountainous  district  in  the  mean  time.  Sentonio 
kept  a  look-out  to  the  south,  and  at  about  five  o'clock  sig- 
naled Pavone  to  come  to  him,  in  order  to  begin  the  descent. 
Here  all  the  trees  had  been  cut  down,  on  account  of  the  fa- 
cility of  bringing  down  the  wood,  and  the  sffumps  which 
had  been  left  in  the  ground  were  all  bleached  white.  It 
was  one  of  the  wildest  scenes  I  have  ever  seen.  A  little 
lower  down,  at  some  time  or  other,  a  fire  had  burnt  all  the 
branches  and  bark,  and  had  left  the  trunks  of  the  trees 
standing.  There  was  not  a  leaf  to  be  seen,  and  a  strong 
wind  driving  the  clouds  along,  enveloped  us  and  every 
thing  about  us  in  a  dense  mist. 

It  was  desperately  cold  work  waiting  for  a  thick  cloud 
to  conceal  us  as  we  crept  from  place  to  place.  Great  cau- 
tion was  exercised  at  one  place,  which  several  baraque 
showed  to  be  a  favorite  post  of  the  military  force.  These 
baraque  had  evidently  been  made  some  time,  and  had 
served  for  a  large  number  of  soldiers.  I  was  much  as- 
tonished at  the  post  being  right  in  the  track  that  led  over 
this  mountain.  It  struck  me  that  if  it  had  been  placed  a 
little  on  one  side,  out  of  sight,  and  with  sentries  care- 
fully concealed,  there  would  have  been  a  much  greater 
chance  of  surprising  the  brigands ;  but  on  every  occasion 
that  I  saw  these  posts,  they  were  placed  in  similar  posi- 
tions to  this,  as  if  with  the  view  of  warning  the  brigands 
off. 

The  soldiers  also  had  evidently  made  enormous  fires, 
which  would  alone  have  betrayed  the  position  of  the  troops, 
and  had  told  all  the  peasants  and  shepherds  in  the  district 
where  the  force  was,  and  these  immediately  gave  informa- 


Diary  of  Mr.Moens,  July  22  to  31.  285 

tion  to  the  brigands.  I  found  a  piece  of  a  Pungolo*  pub- 
lished during  June,  thus  announcing  when  the  soldiers  had 
been  in  this  place.  We  did  not  descend  down  the  mount- 
ain directly,  but  edged  along  toward  the  west. 

The  night  was  terribly  cold,  and  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  24th  we  made  our  way  down  to  some  little  hills  below. 
The  side  of  the  great  mountain  was  clothed  with  the  most 
lovely  flowefs,  a  large  red  lily  being  very  prominent,  and  I 
recognized  many  of  the  flowers  that  adorn  our  gardens  in 
summer.  Pavone  told  me  that  they  expected  to  find  the 
captain  and  band  here  to-day,  with  Lorenzo  and  the  four 
others  who  had  been  left  behind  near  Giffoni  to  get  the 
money. 

While  lying  on  the  ground  this  morning,  I  was  thrown 
into  a  great  state  of  excitement  by  Sentonio  telling  me  that 
he  had  agreed  with  Pavone  to  escape  with  me  if  I  would 
give  them  2000  ducats,  and  that  they  would  give  Scope  the 
slip.  They  told  me  to  write  a  letter  to  the  consul  telling 
him  to  send  a  steamer  to  embark  us  on  Thursday  night  op- 
posite the  Temples,  and  that  the  steamer  was  to  throw  up 
a  rocket,  and  that  we  would  answer  by  making  a  fire.  I 
wrote  all  this  in  pencil  and  gave  him  the  letter,  which  he 
said  he  would  send  to  Naples  by  a  priest,  who  was  a  friend 
of  Pavone.  I  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it  all :  the 
plan  was  quite  practicable  if  they  would  trust  me,  and  they 
might  have  told  me  an  untruth  about  meeting  the  band. 
Sentonio  now  left  us  for  an  hour,  and  all  this  time  I  was  full 
of  hopes  of  seeing  my  wife  at  Naples  in  four  or  five  days ; 
but  all  these  sweet  illusions  were  dashed  to  the  ground  by 
my  hearing  Sentonio  making  the  well-known  signal  of 
*  Wow-wow,  wow-wow,"  and  hearing  a  response  from  the 
side  of  another  mountain  some  little  way  off.  I  now  saw 
*  A  newspaper  published  every  evening  at  Naples. 


286         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

that  they  had  been  making  fun  of  me,  and  asked  Pavone 
for  the  letter  which  I  had  seen  him  put  in  his  pocket,  but 
he  told  me  that  he  had  given  it  to  Sentonio,  and  I  did  not 
recover  it  until  three  weeks  afterward,  when  I  snatched  it 
out  of  the  hands  of  Antonio  and  tore  it  into  little  pieces, 
and  I  found  that  it  had  gone  the  round  of  the  band. 

Great  was  the  delight  of  all  three  of  my  guardians,  who 
immediately  made  me  follow  them  toward  the  direction  of 
the  response,  and  we  hurried  down  and  met  Manzo,  and  all 
those  who  had  fallen  in  with  the  soldiers  as  they  were  going 
to  the  shepherd's. 

Rocco  only  was  missing,  and  I  found  out  afterward  that 
he  had  been  separated  from  the  rest,  and  had  given  himself 
up  to  the  authorities.  They  told  us  that,  after  firing  for  a 
short  time,  they  all  ran  down  the  mountain  to  the  river,  and 
that  the  soldiers  had  not  followed  them  far.  They  then 
went  to  another  flock,  and  made  the  shepherds  give  them 
four  sheep  and  a  quantity  of  milk.  The  night  we  were  look- 
ing for  them  I  had  heard  in  the  distance  the  dogs  barking 
and  the  sheep  all  running  together,  and  told  Pavone  that  I 
was  sure  that  Manzo  was  safe,  and  getting  sheep.  This  is 
a  good  hint  for  the  troops,  for  the  dogs  always  bark  at  first 
when  the  brigands  come  to  the  flock ;  and  when  the  sheep 
are  caught  they  always  run  together,  and  this  is  easily  de- 
tected by  the  peculiar  noise  the  bells  make  when  they  do 
so.  Manzo  and  all  were  delighted  at  seeing  me  safe  and 
well,  for  they  feared  that  I  might  have  been  lost  or  have  es- 
caped during  the  skirmish  with  the  troops,  and  many  of 
them  shook  hands  with  me.  I  was  glad  to  see  that  Manzo 
was  safe,  for  I  trusted  to  him  to  secure  me  against  the  bru- 
tality of  many  in  the  band ;  and  I  also  rejoiced  to  see  the 
carcasses  of  two  sheep  being  carried  by  some  of  the  rascals. 
They  walked  boldly  along  a  path  by  the  side  of  a  sparkling 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  22  to  31.  289 

stream,  though  it  was  daylight,  and,  striking  up  a  dark  ra- 
vine densely  wooded,  soon  came  to  a  safe  place,  where  a 
fire  was  made  and  the  meat  roasted. 

After  all  was  consumed,  with  the  exception  of  two  legs, 
they  gave  themselves  up  to  songs  and  merriment.*  I  was 
requested  to  give  them  a  song,  and  they  were  greatly  as- 
tonished to  hear  that  singing  was  not  one  of  my  accomplish- 
ments, for  all  in  Southern  Italy  are  perfect  masters  in  this 
respect.  It  was  a  wild  but  exceedingly  picturesque  scene, 
and  would  have  made  an  excellent  subject  for  a  picture. 
The  next  morning  early,  Manzo,  with  eight  or  nine  men, 
took  me  through  some  cultivated  land,  on  a  little  plain  be- 
tween the  mountains,  to  a  rugged  ridge  on  the  east  side  of 
it,  one  of  Giardullo's  men  acting  as  guide,  for  we  were  in 
the  part  of  the  province  they  used  to  infest.  We  had  to 
cross  a  stream  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  then  Manzo 
pointed  out  a  place  where  Pavone,  Scope,  Vicenzio,  Malone, 
and  another  were  to  keep  me,  while  Sentonio  and  Justi 
were  to  hide  in  the  mountain,  a  mile  from  us  on  the  other 
side  of  the  plain,  to  procure  what  food  they  could  for  us. 
The  band  was  very  short  of  money,  and  three  Napoleons 
were  all  that  Manzo  could  leave  with  them;  and  he  went 
away  to  look  for  the  five  men  near  Giffoni,  leaving  strict  in- 
junctions that  no  fire  was  to  be  lighted  where  I  was  kept, 
and  that  none  of  those  guarding  me  were  to  go  foraging, 
for  fear  any  one  should  find  out  where  we  were,  and  betray 
us  to  the  troops. 

It  was  very  hard  work  climbing  up  the  almost  perpendic- 
ular rock,  which  was  of  white  crumbling  limestone,  and  at 
last  we  reached  a  little  flat  ledge  concealed  by  the  trees 
some  way  up.  Here  we  stopped ;  but  after  the  second  day 
a  better  place  was  found  a  little  lower  down.  "While  Pa- 
*  For  words  and  music  of  a  brigand  song,  see  Appendix  G. 

N 


290  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

vone  and  another  were  looking  about  for  this  place,  the  oth- 
ers lit  a  fire  to  roast  some  potatoes  which  they  had  brought 
up  with  them,  which  they-  shared  with  me,  to  my  great 
amazement.  Pavone  was  in  a  great  rage  with  them  for 
lighting  the  fire,  for  if  any  one  from  below  had  seen  the 
slightest  gleam,  it  would  have  betrayed  the  presence  of 
brigands  in  this  part,  which  the  authorities  considered  free 
from  them,  since  the  destruction  of  Giardullo's  band.  I 
found  out  that  they  had  given  me  some  of  the  potatoes  in 
order  that  I  should  not  tell  about  their  lighting  the  fire ;  and 
Pavone,  who  had  seen  it  from  below,  would  not  believe  their 
statement  that  Scope  and  Vicenzio  had  given  me  any  thing 
until  I  confirmed  it. 

This  spot  had  served  Giardullo  and  his  band  of  thirty 
men  for  the  same  purpose  last  May,  and  they  had  left  many 
traces  of  their  visit.  It  was  a  level  space,  about  eight  yards 
long  and  three  wide,  with  the  mountain  rising  at  the  back 
covered  with  fern  and  trees,  while  below  a  gully  ran  down 
the  mountain  side;  two  or  three  trees  hid  us  perfectly, 
though  we  could  see  what  was  going  on  below.  On  each 
side  the  former  occupants  had  made  little  paths  by  constant 
passing  to  and  fro  for  the  space  of  a  month,  the  time  they 
had  stopped  in  this  place.  A  tiny  little  spring,  that  never 
ceased  running,  kept  us  supplied  with  excellent  water :  as 
soon  as  we  arrived  I  busied  myself  with  clearing  this  out, 
and  supporting  a  piece  of  bark  with  stones,  so  that  the  wa- 
ter ran  as  if  out  of  a  spout.  This  Scope  constantly  used  to 
kick  down  in  order  to  annoy  me.  A  small  pagliatta  had 
been  made  for  Giardullo  to  sleep  in  during  the  wet  weather 
in  May;  on  this  had  been  put  some  goatskins  as  a  farther 
protection  from  the  weather. 

Two  or  three  places  had  been  covered  with  small  branch- 
es and  fern,  on  which  his  men  used  to  lie,  in  order  to  keep 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  22  to  31.  291 

themselves  off  the  wet  ground,  and  another  just  wide  enough 
for  one  person,  which  I  was  told  served  as  the  couch  of  their 
prisoner.  All  these  arrangements  indicated  greater  refine- 
ment than  Manzo's  band  possessed,  for  never  in  the  wettest 
weather  had  they  taken  the  slightest  trouble  to  protect 
themselves  or  me  from  it.  A  thick  layer  of  wood  ashes 
showed  where  they  had  their  fire,  and  the  many  bones  and 
skins  of  goats  and  sheep  proved  they  had  not  wanted  for 
meat ;  a  broken  terrina,  which  they  had  left  behind,  with  a 
number  of  squares  marked  out  with  the  end  of  a  burnt  stick 
on  the  bottom  of  it,  looked  as  if  they  played  at  draughts, 
and  a  very  large,  long  Bpit  was  found,  on  which  they  roasted 
the  meat.  One  day  a  pair  of  very  small  though  thick  shoes 
were  turned  up,  and  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  one  of 
the  women  belonging  to  the  band. 

The  first  week  we  were  supplied  at  intervals  of  two  or 
three  days  with  a  small  quantity  of  meat  half  cooked.  I 
came  in  for  the  underdone  portions,  for  nothing  an  Italian 
dislikes  so  much  as  crudely-cooked  meat.  No  bread  was 
procurable,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  small  piece  of  rye 
bread :  this  tasted  to  me  most  delicious,  for,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  mouthfuls  of  maize  bread,  we  had  had  none 
for  a  fortnight.  There  was  great  grumbling  at  the  diet,  for 
we  only  had  enough  just  to  keep  us  from  starving.  I  thought 
that  here  I  might  manage  to  wash  a  little,  and  began  by 
taking  off  my  boots  in  order  to  commence  with  my  feet.  I 
had  washed  one  and  was  doing  the  same  to  the  other,  when 
that  wretched  Scope  rushed  at  me,  and  began  hitting  me 
with  a  stick  he  picked  up  because  I  did  not  immediately  put 
my  sock  on  to  my  wet  foot.  I  did  not  pay  the  slightest  at- 
tention to  him,  and  wiped  my  foot  dry,  and  then  put  on  my 
sock  and  boot,  he  continuing  to  strike  me  all  the  time.  I 
told  him  that  "  it  did  not  hurt  me,  and  I  supposed  it  amused 


292  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

him"  (remembering  an  anecdote  told  once  by  a  noble  earl 
in  the  House  of  Lords  with  excellent  effect),  aud  I  recom- 
mended him  to  take  care  what  he  did,  or  I  should  complain 
to  the  captain.  The  others  took  my  part,  and,  though  he 
did  not  repeat  the  offense,  he  often  threatened  me,  and  I 
really  was  frequently  in  fear  of  my  life  by  reason  of  his 
brutal  disposition.  One  blow  slightly  raised  the  skin  on 
my  forefinger,  and  I  suppose  the  stick  must  have  been  in 
contact  with  some  decayed  matter,  for  the  wound  became 
very  troublesome,  and  did  not  heal  for  three  weeks,  when  I 
had  got  some  bread  and  made  a  poultice  for  it. 

The  captain  did  not  return  at  the  end  of  the  week,  as  he 
had  promised ;  all  the  money  was  gone,  and  no  food  came 
for  three  days.  I  was  so  hungry  that  I  begged  for  some 
of  the  raw  fat  three  weeks  old,  that  they  had  kept  for  the 
purpose  of  greasing  their  boots  !  This  I  forced  down  my 
throat,  after  masticating  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  but  at  the 
end  of  that  time  it  was  just  as  clammy  as  at  first.  I  three 
times  ate  a  little  of  this  fearfully  rancid  stuff.  At  last,  one 
night,  half  a  sheep  was  sent  up  to  us,  which  four  of  the  men 
took  down  again  to  cook,  for  Pavone,  who  stopped  with 
me,  would  not  have  a  fire  made  where  we  were.  The 
greedy  wretches  cooked  and  ate  nearly  all  of  it,  putting  a 
quantity  away  in  their  pockets,  and  brought  up  a  little  to 
Pavone,  but  only  gave  to  me  a  scraped  leg-bone,  which 
Scope  threw  in  my  face,  hurting  me  a  good  deal :  it  was 
perfectly  raw,  and  had  but  very  few  signs  of  meat  about  it. 
I  gnawed  at  this  in  the  dark  like  a  dog,  eating  as  much  of 
the  sinewy  appendages  as  I  could  manage  to  find  and  to 
bite ;  I  then  put  it  by  (also  after  the  manner  of  dogs)  till 
the  morning,  being  too  famished  to  lose  so  precious  a  mor- 
sel; but  that  dear  brute  Scope,  seeing  it,  took  it  away  to 
see  if  he  could  make  any  thing  of  it — though  he  had  plenty 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  22  to  31.  293 

of  meat  in  his  pocket  —  and,  finding  nothing  on  it,  threw  it 
at  my  head  again.  Not  a  morsel  would  the  others  give 
me,  and  for  two  more  days  I  had  to  go  without  food,  or  to 
take  to  the  raw  and  stinking  fat  again !  Each  day  I  had 
been  getting  weaker  and  weaker,  till  at  last  my  voice  failed 
me,  and  I  could  only  speak  in  the  lowest  whisper,  as  at  last 
I  lay  stretched  on  the  ground,  praying  for  death.* 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  July  Malone  and  Yicenzio 
were  sent  to  get  food  at  all  hazards,  for  they  saw  I  was  in 
a  bad  state,  and  they  all  (particularly  Pavone)  were  getting 
very  queer  for  want  of  something  to  eat,  but  no  one  was  so 
ill  as  I  was. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  we  heard  a  low  whistle  above  us, 
and  I  saw  Antonio  coming  down  with  something  in  his 
handkerchief  slung  on  his  gun.  When  he  came  to  where 
Pavone  was  sitting,  he  turned  two  loaves  and  a  number  of 
pears  out  of  his  pocket.  I  was  so  excited  at  the  sight  of 
this  that  I  burst  into  tears  at  the  goodness  of  God  in  send- 
ing food  when  I  had  quite  given  up  hopes  of  life.  I  was 
too  weak  to  go  to  the  bread,  and  Antonio  brought  me  three 
pears.  I  tried  to  say  "pane"  but  I  could  not  manage  it,  so 
pointed  at  the  bread,  which  they  gave  me  immediately ; 
and  by  eating  a  small  quantity  at  a  time  I  soon  felt  better, 
and  by  the  evening  recovered  my  voice. 

When  it  got  dark,  the  two  who  had  gone  for  food  in  the 
morning  returned  with  a  little  rye  bread  which  they  had 
procured  from  some  shepherds,  with  two  baskets  of  racot- 

*  But  a  short  time  before  we  had  plenty  to  eat,  but  no  water ;  now  we 
were  safe  from  thirst,  but  could  get  nothing  to  eat.  The  brigands  have 
a  saying, 

"Quando  e  pane,  non  c'e  aqua: 
Quando  e  aqua,  non  c'e  pane  : 
Quando  e  carne,  non  sono  aqua  o  pane." 


294         .English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigand*. 

ta;  but  this  they  had  eaten  at  once,  to  the  great  disgust 
of  those  left  behind,  who  rated  them  severely  for  their 
greediness,  as  it  was  a  mere  chance,  and  quite  contrary  to 
Manzo's  orders,  that  Antonio  came  in  the  daytime ;  and  if 
he  had  not  supplied  us,  the  two  who  had  gone  foraging 
would  have  fared  well,  while  all  left  behind  would  have 
hardly  had  any  thing.  To-day  Scope  pointed  his  gun  to 
the  sky,  and,  to  my  great  astonishment,  off  it  went,  to  the 
horror  of  all !  I  looked  at  it,  and  found  that  the  stock  was 
cracked  across,  and  this  made  it  go  off  as  easily  at  half-cock 
as  at  full-cock.  To  my  delight  the  nipple  blew  out,  and 
rendered  his  gun  useless.  Vicenzio  had  lost  the  lock  of  his, 
and  thus  two  guns  were  rendered  good  for  nothing. 

While  in  this  place  we  had  a  week  of  thunder-storms  and 
showers,  which  greatly  added  to  my  misery,  and  brought 
on  rheumatism  in  my  right  arm.  It  was  curious  to  notice 
how  soon  the  slightest  rain -fall  affected  our  spring,  and 
caused  it  to  run  merrily  into  the  earthen  vessel  that  was 
put  under  the  bark  spout. 

On  the  24th  of  July  the  harvest  was  begun  in  the  plains, 
and  I  could  see  the  women  carrying  away  the  sheaves  of 
corn  and  rye  as  soon  as  cut.  It  was  supposed  that,  as  soon 
as  the  reapers  came  up  from  the  country  below,  food  would 
be  obtained  for  us  in  quantity ;  but  this  proved  an  illusion, 
and  all  the  peasants  were  pronounced  infame,  or  traitors  to 
the  cause  of  brigandage. 

July  31.  Early  in  the  morning  Antonio  appeared  again 
with  bread  and  a  quantity  of  pears,  and  brought  the  in- 
formation that  the  captain  had  arrived ;  but  once  more  I 
was  doomed  to  disappointment,  and  my  ears  began  to  twitch 
again  at  the  bad  news  I  had  heard  —  no  money,  and  no  let- 
ters! And  this  was  not  all;  they  told  me  that  Lorenzo 
and  the  four  others  left  to  receive  the  gold  from  Giffoni 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  22  to  31.  295 

had  given  themselves  up  after  receiving  6000  ducats,  equal 
to  £1000.*  Hearing  this  made  me  very  low-spirited,  for  I 
knew  it  would  enrage  the  band,  who  were  without  money, 
and  much  increase  the  length  of  my  captivity ;  and,  besides 
this,  I  knew  that  Manzo  would  consider  it  my  loss,  and  re- 
quire the  money  to  be  sent  up  again.  Not  a  moment  was 
lost,  and  I  was  hurried  over  the  top  of  the  mountain,  be- 
hind the  place  where  we  had  spent  the  last  fortnight,  in  or- 
der to  go  to  the  part  where  we  had  found  the  captain  be- 
fore. It  was  fearfully  steep  and  dangerous,  and  I  was  so 
weak  from  starvation  that  I  could  hardly  drag  myself  along ; 
they  had  to  rest  every  now  and  then  on  my  account.  I 
was  now  so  miserable  that  I  did  not  care  what  became  of 
me.  The  last  letters  from  my  friends  in  Naples  were  dated 
seven  weeks  ago,  and  there  was  no  chance  of  my  hearing 
again  for  another  fortnight ;  and  after  my  many  disappoint- 
ments, I  could  hardly  count  upon  that.  During  the  walk  I 
found  a  plantation  of  wild  raspberries,  the  fruit  of  which 
was  quite  as  large  and  as  well-flavored  as  those  grown  in 
our  gardens  at  home. 

At  last  I  was  told  to  sit  down,  which  I  did  most  cheer- 
fully. More  pears  arrived,  but  they  were  very  hard  and  un- 
ripe ;  this,  however,  was  nothing  to  the  cormorants  in  whose 
keeping  I  was,  and  I  got  into  great  disgrace  for  presuming 
to  pick  out  a  ripe  one.  I  attempted  to  pare  it,  but  was  told 
not  to  waste  good  food,  and,  whatever  might  be  the  custom 
in  England,  it  was  different  with  them,  and  that  if  I  pared 
another  I  should  never  have  any  more.  I  had  to  put  up 
with  much  of  this  treatment.  On  one  occasion  I  had  thrown 
away  a  piece  of  sinew,  and  they  took  the  trouble  of  going 
to  look  for  it,  to  see  if  it  were,  in  their  idea,  eatable.  They 
often  gave  me  the  windpipe  of  a  sheep,  and  made  me  eat  it 
*  This  was  false. 


296         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

before  I  was  allowed  any  thing  more.  I  always  told  them 
they  did  this  to  keep  me  employed  with  a  bad  piece  while 
they  were  eating  all  the  rest. 

In  about  two  hours  Manzo  came  up  to  us  in  a  very  sulky 
state,  and  made  me  write  a  letter  to  the  consul  to  request 
him  to  inform  the  prefect  of  what  had  occurred,  and  to  de- 
mand that  all  these  five  men  might  be  immediately  shot, 
unless  they  gave  up  the  money  they  had  stolen.  I  had  not 
known  whether  to  believe  the  story  or  not;  but  when 
Manzo  told  me  all  their  names  at  full  length  to  insert  in  the 
letter,  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  truth.  When  this  let- 
ter was  written,  he  took  a  piece  of  paper  from  his  pocket- 
book,  on  which  was  written  a  letter  he  had  composed  to  my 
wife,  which  I  was  to  copy.  It  took  me  a  long  time  to  de- 
cipher the  writing,  which  I  could  only  do  with  his  aid,  and 
I  wrote  each  word  afresh  over  the  original.  He  commenced 
"  O  moglia  ingrata"  etc.  I  told  him  that  I  never  wrote 
such  a  word,  and  that  my  wife  would  not  understand  it ; 
but  my  objections  were  of  no  avail,  and  I  had  to  write  this 
dreadful  letter  as  he  wished ;  but  I  slanted  my  writing  as 
much  as  possible,  to  show  it  was  his  dictation,  and  after- 
ward added  some  upright  of  my  own  composition,  and  got 
leave  to  add  two  lines  in  English,  taking  advantage  of  a  re- 
port current  among  the  shepherds  that  I  was  dead.*  I  al- 
ways took  the  opportunity  of  letter-writing  to  ask  Manzo 
for  more  bread,  telling  him  it  was  a  great  exertion,  and  that 
it  was  impossible  for  me  to  write  Italian  when  hungry,  and 
on  this  occasion  I  did  not  forget  to  adopt  the  usual  plan, 
though  with  but  little  success. 

In  the  evening  we  joined  the  rest  of  the  band,  when  I 
found  that  they  had  reunited  with  Cerino's  party.  Many 
of  the  men  showed  much  commiseration  for  me  on  hearing 
of  the  sad  state  I  had  been  in  for  want  of  food. 

*  This  letter  is  given  at  length  in  the  Appendix,  H. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  July  22  to  31.  297 

Cerino  himself  looked  very  chapfallen.  He  had  been  de- 
posed from  the  post  of  captain,  I  believe,  on  account  of  his 
unfairness  in  distributing  food,  and  Cicco  had  been  elected 
in  his  stead.  I  also  heard  that  there  had  been  a  great  quar- 
rel among  the  members  of  the  two  bands,  I  believe  about 
mutilating  me  because  the  money  came  up  so  slowly,  and 
those  who  did  not  share  in  the  ransom  objected  to  the  con- 
stant harassing  and  want  of  food  occasioned  by  the  exces- 
sive measures  of  the  Italian  government. 

Andrea,  Cerino's  secretary,  and  Pasquale,  would  not  serve 
under  Cicco,  and  had  joined  Manzo.  Poor  Cerino  had  also 
been  deserted  by  Doniella,  who  had  left  the  mountains  for 
one  of  the  villages,  and  altogether  he  looked  at  this  time 
very  like  a  fighting-cock  who  had  just  got  the  worst  of  it 
in  an  encounter.  Quantum  mutatus  from  the  Cerino  I  for- 
merly knew!  Instead  of  being  made  much  of  by  every 
body,  no  one  now  spoke  to  him,  and  he  skulked  about,  ut- 
tei-ly  ashamed  of  himself. 

N  2 


298         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Diary  op  Me.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22. 

Illness  of  Scope,  my  Bete  Noir. — Starvation  threatens  again. — Scarcity 
of  Water  again. — The  Brigands  observe  Fast-days. — Their  religious 
Feelings. — Their  Respect  for  my  Talents. — Fearful  State  to  which  I 
was  reduced. — The  Soldiers  once  more. — We  leave  the  Cave. — A  Meal 
of  Mutton  and  Potatoes. — I  am  sent  away  to  meet  Manzo. — In  sight 
of  Acerno  again. — Rigors  practiced  by  the  Troops  on  the  Peasantry. 
— Hard  Work  of  the  Women. — I  hear  that  6000  Ducats  have  been  re- 
ceived.— Prospects  of  Freedom. — Antonio's  new  Suit. — More  Gam- 
bling.— Two  Days  we  live  on  Apples. — All  the  Money  had  at  last. — 
Manzo's  Behavior. — Division  of  the  Spoil. 

July  31.  There  was  some  mystery  about  this  time  which 
I  never  have  been  able  to  fathom ;  all  the  band  had  been 
warned  not  to  give  me  any  information  about  the  receipt 
of  money  or  letters  for  me,  and  I  saw  signs  being  made  to 
those  whom  I  questioned  about  my  affairs.  All  at  once  I 
was  taken  away  from  the  rest  of  the  band  by  about  six 
men,  and  made  to  lie  down  out  of  the  light  of  the  moon ; 
they,  too,  concealed  themselves,  and  I  heard  signals  made 
and,  answei'ed,  and  then  the  noise  made  by  men  walking 
through  standing  corn.  No  supply  of  food  came  up,  or  I 
should  have  known  of  it ;  and,  at  the  time,  I  could  only  con- 
jecture that  I  was  being  deceived  about  Lorenzo  and  his 
companions,  but  this  afterward  proved  not  to  be  the  case. 
At  last  another  brigand  joined  us,  and  we  went  along  the 
south  side  of  the  valley,  that  was  toward  the  southwest,  in 


Diary  of  Mr.  Mbens,  July  31  to  August  22.      299 

the  direction  of  the  town  (which  proved  to  be  Campagna) ; 
after  going  a  short  way  we  struck  up  the  mountain. 

I  was  so  tired  from  walking,  and  the  weight  of  my  capote 
and  little  bundle  of  things,  that  I  could  hardly  stand,  and  I 
had  to  pull  myself  up  with  the  aid  of  the  small  bushes  and 
oaks  that  covered  the  side  of  the  mountains ;  at  last  we 
reached  some  rocks  that  raised  their  bare  sides  from  a  bed 
of  fern,  and  behind  some  bushes  we  found  a  capacious  cav- 
ern :  it  was  about  eight  yards  deep  and  four  wide,  the  two 
sides  meeting  in  a  point  at  the  top.  The  bottom  was  of 
fine  black  mould  and  very  sloping ;  this  made  it  most  diffi- 
cult for  me  to  keep  my  position  when  I  was  told  to  go  to 
the  end  and  lie  down,  and  I  kept  slipping  down  on  the  man 
below  me  all  night. 

In  this  cave  it  was  intensely  dark,  and  there  was  a  large 
bat  flying  about  continually,  which  did  not  increase  my  com- 
fort. It  was  impossible  for  me  to  sleep,  and,  to  add  to  my 
grief,  my  bundle  of  valuables  rolled  away  from  me,  and  in  a 
moment  went  bounding  down  the  mountain  side ;  I  never 
expected  to  see  it  again,  but  in  the  morning  it  was  recov- 
ered by  Pavone. 

Scope  caught  cold  on  one  side  of  his  head  to-night,  which 
made  it  swell  very  much.  I  told  him  it  was  the  effects  of 
the  good  living  we  had  been  having,  which  had  fattened  one 
side  of  his  head ;  this  raised  a  great  laugh  against  him,  and 
I  repeated  "  J^overo  Scope"  once  or  twice,  which  tickled 
their  fancy  immensely,  for  they  all  knew  that  there  was  no 
love  lost  between  us,  and  for  some  time  they  all  pretended 
to  commiserate  him  in  the  same  way. 

I  began  to  fear  that  the  starvation  system  was  to  begin 
again,  as  the  following  extract  from  my  notes  made  at  the 
time  will  show. 

"We  arrived  here  on  the  31st  of  July : 


300  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

"Aug.  1.  No  water;  small  piece  of  bread. 

"      2.  No  water ;  a  little  rye  bread  at  night. 
"      3.  No  water  till  midnight ;   no  bread ;   Pavone 
went  to  get  sheep." 

Each  night  the  brigands  went  down  for  water,  but  they 
had  nothing  in  which  to  bring  up  any  for  me,  and  orders 
had  been  given  not  to  allow  me  to  move.  It  is  a  fearful 
thing,  in  a  hot  climate,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  to  go  with- 
out drinking  for  three  days'.  Each  night  I  raved  at  them 
for  their  cruelty  in  not  bringing  me  up  water;  but  they 
only  jeered  at  me,  and  told  me  to  do  without  it.  When  it 
did  come  they  did  not  allow  me  to  drink  much,  though  a 
large  earthen  jar  had  been  procured  and  brought  up  .full. 
They  had  also  brought  up  a  copper  caldaja,  and  they  want- 
ed as  much  water  as  possible  to  cook  some  pasta  which 
they  had  also  obtained. 

The  next  day,  the  4th  of  August,  was  the  anniversary  of 
my  wedding-day,  and  I  whiled  away  an  hour  by  going 
through  the  wedding  service,  and  all  day  thought  of  the 
gathering  of  my  friends  on  that  occasion,  and  followed 
them  all,  mentally,  to  their  happy  homes.  I  wondered,  too, 
whether  the  day  would  be  remembered  at  Naples. 

Some  pasta  was  cooked,  but  the  want  of  bacon-fat,  salt, 
or  pepper  made  it  very  insipid ;  but  hunger  forced  all  to  eat 
it  with  thankfulness.  In  the  evening  there  was  great  re- 
joicing. Pavone,  Antonino,  and  Antonio  returned  with 
three  sheep  alive,  and  the  carcass  of  one  they  had  killed, 
11  lbs.  weight  of  excellent  bread,  some  cheese,  an  enormous 
quantity  of  pears,  and  plenty  of  salt.  The  next  night,  five 
loaves,  weighing  1  lbs.  each,  and  more  cheese  and  pears,  ap- 
peared, and  this  lasted  me  and  my  five  jailers  the  fortnight 
we  stopped  in  this  place. 

I  have  not  mentioned  that  from  religious  scruples  the 


Diary  of  Mr.  Mbens,  July  31  to  August  22.      301 

brigands  never  eat  meat  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  un- 
less it  is  impossible  to  procure  otber  food.  Their  religious 
feeling  is  also  shown  by  their  invai'iably  raising  their  hats 
when  the  Madonna's  or  our  Savior's  name  is  mentioned; 
also  when  they  hear  the  church  bells  ringing  for  vespers  an 
hour  after  sunset.  While  in  a  place  like  this,  I  got  rather 
clever  at  telling  the  time  from  observing  the  shadows  cast 
by  the  sun,  and  they  always  came  to  me  to  set  their  watch- 
es. By  some  of  them  I  was  considered  to  be  possessed  by 
a  devil,  because  I  knew  too  much,  and  foretold  the  weather 
so  well.  One  day  I  was  asked  the  hour  some  time  after  it 
had  got  dark.  I  looked  round  and  said,  "  One  o'clock ;" 
for  they  always,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  count  from  sun- 
set to  sunset,  24  hours.  As  I  spoke,  the  clock  of  the  town 
below  sounded  one,  and  they  said,  "We  always  thought 
you  possessed  with  a  devil,  but  now  we  are  sure  of  it ;"  and 
afterward,  though  their  watches  were  pretty  correct,  they 
preferred  asking  me.  M 

With  some  large  stones  I  built  a  little  wall  across  the 
cave,  and  digging  down  the  part  above  with  the  end  of  my 
stick,  made  a  level  space  to  lie  down  on ;  and  one  evening 
I  was  allowed  to  pick  a  quantity  of  fern,  and  this  made  it 
much  softer  and  more  comfortable.  My  sides  had  become 
very  sore  from  rubbing  constantly  against  the  hard  ground. 
For  a  long  time  my  body  had  been  in  a  fearful  state  from 
sores  arising  from  the  bites  of  vermin ;  not  a  spot  about 
me  had  escaped  from  their  attacks,  and  the  wounds  were 
constantly  festering  from  the  bad  state  of  my  system,  in- 
duced through  inadequate  and  improper  food.  After  an 
exclusively  meat  diet  for  a  week  or  a  fortnight,  I  invariably 
grew  much  worse.  These  wounds  required  the  greatest 
care,  for  the  filthy  state  I  was  in  from  not  being  allowed  to 
wash,  and  the  black,  fine  dust  of  the  cave,  soon  caused  them 


302  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  increase  much  in  size.  I  always  applied  a  small  bread 
and  water  poultice ;  I  kept  a  small  supply  of  crumbs  tied 
up  in  a  corner  of  a  handkerchief  for  the  purpose. 

The  rye  bread  was  curious  stuff.  After  it  was  two  days 
old  it  fermented,  and  was  full  of  a  viscid  transparent  mat- 
ter. If  it  did  not  turn  mouldy  in  this  stage,  but  dried  all 
right,  it  would  last  sound  for  months,  though  it  required 
soaking  before  being  eaten.  A  great  deal  of  this  fell  to 
my  share,  for  it  was  despised  by  the  others,  who  ate  the 
best  there  was.  All  day  long  I  heard  the  constant  beating 
out  of  the  corn,  which  was  going  on  just  below  us,  and  I 
could  often  see  the  women  carrying  the  sheaves  on  their 
heads  from  the  fields  for  this  purpose.  There  was  a  dog  at 
this  place,  which  constantly  kept  barking.  I  do  not  think 
these  peasants  supplied  the  brigands  with  food,  for  they 
went  at  least  an  hour's  walk  for  it,  going  out  at  dusk,  and 
not  returning  till  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  and  often  not  till 
the  next  night. 

One  day,  while  they  were  cooking  at  the  end  of  the  cave, 
a  flock  of  goats  came  close  to  the  cave,  and  there  was  great 
fear  lest  the  slight  smoke  that  passed  through  a  small  hole 
at  the  top  should  have  been  seen  by  the  boy  looking  after 
them ;  two  or  three  of  the  goats  actually  came  and  looked 
in  at  us  from  a  rock  above,  and  were  driven  away  by  little 
stones.  The  next  day,  the  9th  of  August,  there  was  great 
trepidation,  and  three  of  the  brigands  and  I  were  in  ex- 
treme danger  for  some  little  time.  All  at  once  Antouino 
called  out,  "The  soldiers!  the  soldiers!"  They  were  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  cave. 
Andrea  and  he  bolted  out  at  once  and  hid  themselves  be- 
hind some  rocks  near,  for  they  were  two  old  hands  at  brig- 
andage, and  would  not  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  like 
rats  in  a  hole,  in  the  same  manner  that  Giardullo  and  his 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  31  to  Auyust  22.      303 

band  were  when  they  were  so  cut  up  some  weeks  before. 
I  was  immediately  made  to  go  to  the  end  of  the  cave,  and 
Pavone,  Antonio,  and  Scope  came  with  me,  and  every  place 
was  cleared  from  which  there  was  a  chance  of  any  thing 
being  seen.  Scope  told  me  that,  if  the  soldiers  came,  he 
would  shoot  me  at  once.  I  gave  them  all  the  advice  not 
to  attempt  to  fire  at  the  troops,  but  to  put  their  guns 
down,  and  then  lie  flat  on  the  ground,  for  they  might  per- 
haps kill  one  or  two,  but  in  the  end  must  lose  their  own 
lives ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  should  they  give  themselves 
up,  they  would  only  have  to  spend  a  few  years  in  prison. 
I  never  saw  any  people  in  such  a  state  of  terror.  Pavone's 
teeth  were  all  chattering,  and  he  was  as  white  as  a  sheet ; 
Scope  was  the  same,  and  lying  on  the  ground  ;  and  Antonio 
was  in  such  a  state  of  fear  and  shaking  that  he  kept  strik- 
ing his  gun  against  the  rocky  sides  of  the  cave,  and  making 
a  great  noise,  to  the  dismay  of  all. 

I  sat  down  on  a  stone,  and,  to  reassure  them,  said, "  Cour- 
age !  courage !  eat  a  little ;"  and,  to  set  the  example,  took 
some  bread  and  meat  out  of  my  pocket  and  began  eating  it. 
My  doing  so  enraged  them  to  a  great  extent,  and  they  said, 
"  What  a  fool  you  are  to  begin  to  eat  when  you  will  be 
dead  in  two  minutes !"  I  urged  them  to  do  as  I  told  them, 
and  all  would  be  right.  I  had  by  this  time  become  so  de- 
spairing of  ever  escaping  from  my  bondage  that  I  did  not 
care  what  took  place ;  but  in  a  skirmish  with  the  troops  I 
might  have  escaped.  Had  I  not  been  so  carefully  kept  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  cave,  with  their  men  hemming  me 
in,  I  should  have  now  tried  to  run  out  and  dart  down  the 
hill,  crying, "  The  brigands !  the  brigands !"  and  they  would 
have  been  afraid  either  to  follow  me  or  shoot  at  me,  for 
fear  of  betraying  themselves. 

For  about  three  hours  we  were  in  this  uncomfortable 


304  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

state,  and  then,  no  soldiers  appearing,  they  took  heart  and 
went  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave ;  but  I  was  not  allowed  to 
move.  When  it  got  quite  dark  the  two  brothers  returned, 
and  told  us  that  the  troops  had  passed  in  two  companies, 
one  above  us,  and  the  other  just  below,  leaving  us  unnoticed 
between  them.  It  was  a  great  escape,  and  I  felt  most 
thankful  for  it ;  for,  if  we  had  been  discovered,  I  should  cer- 
tainly have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  vengeance  of  the  brigands, 
who  had  had  the  strictest  orders  from  Manzo  not  to  let  me 
fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  soldiers ;  added  to  which, 
one  of  my  keepers,  at  least,  would  have  gladly  seized  the 
opportunity  of  wreaking  his  fury  upon  me.  We  had  now 
been  here  for  ten  days,  and  orders  had  been  left  by  Manzo 
that  if  he  did  not  return  before  this  time,  they  were  to 
leave  the  cave  and  go  to  meet  him  near  a  fountain  some 
way  on  the  road  toward  Giffoni.  They  had  had  such  a 
fright  that  it  was  determined  to  leave  to-night.  I  was  de- 
lighted to  hear  this,  for  the  place  had  become  unbearable 
from  the  odor  of  the  sheep's  paunches  which  had  been 
thrown  just  outside  the  cave,  and  I  was  afraid  of  being  bit- 
ten by  the  swarm  of  flies  which  fed  constantly  on  the  de- 
caying matter.  I  also  pitied  the  poor  sheep  that  had  hith- 
erto escaped  death;  for  six  days  the  demons  had  left  it 
without  water,  and  the  poor  beast  suffered  so  that  it  gave 
vent  to  its  feelings  by  constantly  bleating:  it  did  this  two 
or  three  times  while  they  were  in  fear  of  the  soldiers.  On 
each  occasion  Scope  went  to  it,  and  ground  its  nose  against 
the  rough  side  of  the  cave ;  it  was  a  most  painful  sight,  and 
I  reproached  them  for  allowing  the  poor  animal  to  be  tor- 
tured thus.  They  only  remarked  that  it  would  not  die  for 
two  day 8  more,  eight  days  being  the  time  they  could  exist 
without  water. 

Great  caution  was  used  as  we  emerged  from  our  retreat, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22.      305 

where  we  had  now  passed  ten  days,  and  in  about  three 
hours  we  arrived  at  the  fountain,  where  we  expected  to 
meet  their  captain.  Care  was  taken  not  to  leave  any  foot- 
marks near  the  water.  I  remained  with  them  while  the 
other  two  went  to  rob  a  potato-field ;  they  soon  returned 
with  a  large  handkerchief  full  of  potatoes,  which  were 
cooked  the  next  day,  half  of  the  poor  sheep  having  been 
boiled  in  some  water,  and  the  potatoes  were  afterward  cut 
in  slices  and  boiled  in  the  broth,  which  made  the  most  sa- 
vory mess  I  had  tasted  for  months. 

During  the  night  I  picked  up  my  New  Testament,  which 
had  fallen  out  of  my  pocket  while  I  was  sleeping,  and  early 
the  next  morning  we  moved  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  on. 
In  the  middle  of  the  day  I  found,  to  my  great  dismay,  that 
I  had  lost  my  little  Prayer-book,  which  had  been  the  great- 
est solace  all  the  time  of  my  captivity.  Even  Pavone  felt 
for  me,  for  religious  books  are  very  much  respected  by 
these  men.  He  immediately,  on  my  requesting  him,  went 
back  to  the  place  where  we  slept,  and  soon  returned,  but 
told  me  he  had  not  been  able  to  find  it ;  in  a  few  minutes, 
however,  he  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  gave  me  the 
precious  book.  How  pleased  I  was  to  see  it  again  !  it  made 
me  comparatively  happy  all  the  rest  of  the  day.  There  was 
a  scarcity  of  knives  to-day,  for  the  only  two  they  possessed 
had  been  lost,  one  having  been  left  at  each  of  the  last  two 
hiding-places,  and  they  had  to  come  to  me  for  my  two 
pocket-knives  to  slaughter  and  cut  up  the  sheep. 

It  was  not  considered  safe  to  stop  with  me  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, because  of  the  soldiers  seen  the  day  before,  so 
Antonino  and  Scope  remained  behind  to  tell  Manzo  and  the 
band,  when  they  came,  where  the  other  three  had  taken 
me. 

August  10.  In  the  evening  we  went  toward  the  north 


30C  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

taking  five  hours  to  ascend  a  mountain,  which  was  cultiva- 
ted in  terraces  half  the  way  up ;  the  corn  had  all  been  cut, 
and  we  started  a  covey  of  partridges,  which  went  whirring 
down  the  hill-side.  It  was  easy  walking  along  a  path  after 
we  had  gone  over  the  summit,  and  we  halted  at  two  springs, 
making  a  good  meal  off  the  remains  of  the  sheep. 

At  daybreak  we  climbed  up  a  mountain  covered  with 
wood,  and,  coming  to  a  suitable  place,  threw  ourselves  on 
the  ground  and  were  soon  asleep,  one  keeping  guard  as 
usual.  When  I  woke  the  sun  was  high,  and  I  could  see  a 
town  a  little  to  the  eastward  placed  on  one  end  of  a  curious- 
ly flat  piece  of  land,  with  high  mountains  on  the  north  and 
east  of  it.  Between  us  and  the  town  the  ground  was  much 
broken,  and  I  thought  I  recognized  Acerno,  having  caught 
a  glimpse  of  it  once  before  in  the  gray  of  the  morning, 
when  Signor  Francesco  Visconti  was  with  me.  I  had  heard 
them  whispering  about  a  safe  place  near  Acerno  the  day  be- 
fore, so  I  boldly  told  them  I  could  see  Acerno,  which  rather 
surprised  them,  and  I  heard  the  word  diavolo  pass  from  one 
to  the  other.  They  told  me  it  was  not  so,  but  the  town 
was  called  Bagnuolo.  This  confirmed  me  in  my  opinion, 
for  any  information  they  volunteered  was  sure  to  be  false, 
and  they  never  did  even  this  except  to  throw  me  off  a 
scent. 

In  the  evening  we  descended  a  long  way,  and  passed  over 
a  foaming  torrent  by  a  very  frail  kind  of  bridge,  about  six 
inches  wide :  all  the  bed  and  rocks  in  it  were  marble,  smooth 
and  polished  by  the  action  of  the  water.  "We  had  to  ascend 
another  ridge,  and  then  passed  on  to  cultivated  ground, 
where  I  picked  several  ears  of  maize,  now  getting  ripe. 

There  were  also  a  great  number  of  apple-trees  full  of 
fruit,  but  the  greater  part  very  rough  and  bitter ;  but  at 
last  a  tree  was  found  with  good-sized  apples  of  a  fair  kind, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22.      307 

with  which  our  pockets  were  soon  filled.  The  mountain 
ridge  ran  round  three  sides,  and  another  closed  in  the  fourth 
with  a  high  mountain  rising  behind  it. 

In  this  way  a  tiny  valley  was  inclosed,  well  cultivated, 
and  irrigated  by  a  little  stream  that  issued  from  the  precip- 
itous white  limestone  rock  at  the  northern  end ;  on  the  east- 
ern side  the  mountain  was  cultivated  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top,  but  the  western  side  was  covered  with  broom  and 
small  trees,  and  here  we  were  hid  for  another  fourteen  days. 
It  was  a  most  impudent  act  to  choose  this  spot,  only  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  Acerno,  in  a  cultivated  part,  with  a  mule- 
road  right  round  the  little  amphitheatre,  formed  by  a  ridge 
about  three  hundred  feet  high.  At  least  seventy  to  eighty 
peasants  passed  not  three  hundred  yards  from  us  every 
morning  and  evening,  as  they  went  to  and  from  their  daily 
work,  and  we  could  see  company  after  company  of  soldiers 
as  they  passed  backward  and  forward  between  Giffoni  and 
Acerno.  The  place  was  well  chosen,  for  the  troops  never 
thought  of  looking  into  a  hollow  about  three  hundred  yards 
long  and  two  hundred  wide,  where  people  went  every  day 
to  thresh  corn  and  pick  the  apples.  Every  night  Antonio 
brought  up  bread,  cheese,  bacon,  and  fruit,  also  boiled  ears 
of  maize,  but  in  rather  small  quantities,  for  the  strictest 
measures  were  still  taken  against  the  peasants,  any  one 
found  carrying  bread  at  night  being  liable  to  be  shot ;  and 
in  the  daytime  all  peasants  met  by  the  troops  were  searched 
to  see  if  they  had  more  than  suflicient  to  serve  for  their 
midday  meal,  and  even  this  was  restricted  to  a  very  small 
quantity.  The  women,  too,  going  to  the  springs  for  water, 
were  obliged  to  be  provided  with  a  pass. 

For  the  first  few  days  I  saw  two  men  and  a  girl  employ- 
ed in  threshing  corn  on  the  hill-side  opposite  us.  The  brig- 
ands were  quite  at  home  here,  and  knew  the  names  of  all 


308  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

whom  they  saw,  even  at  a  great  distance.  They  told  me 
that  these  two  men  were  father  and  son,  but  they  seemed 
to  take  great  care  that  we  were  not  seen  by  them. 

It  used  rather  to  amuse  me  to  see  the  contented  way  the 
women  would  carry  home  heavy  burdens,  while  the  men 
would  calmly  ride  home  on  the  donkeys,  which  here  go  by 
the  name  of  beasts ;  and  I  thought  of  some  of  my  country- 
women, who  are  so  fond  of  contrasting  the  status  of  their 
sex  in  England  with  that  of  their  sisters  "  abroad,"  showing 
a  decided  predilection  for  the  condition  of  the  latter,  based 
upon  the  charming  external  politeness  with  which  they 
themselves  have  been  treated  by  a  Frenchman  or  an  Italian 
in  some  ballroom. 

Day  after  day  of  the  hottest  weather  passed,  but  no  news 
of  the  captain,  except  that  he  was  gone  to  take  another  ga- 
lantuomo.  At  last,  after  a  week,  one  evening — it  was  Wed- 
nesday— about  ten  of  the  band  came  up,  headed  by  Genero- 
so,  who  told  me  at  first  that  there  were  no  letters  or  money, 
but  I  soon  found  out  from  their  quiet  manner  that  things 
were  looking  better,  and  I  presently  found  that  6000  ducats 
had  been  received,  making  in  all  12,000,  and  they  had  got 
the  news  that  18,000  ducats  more  were  at  Giffoni,  and  had 
been  there  some  weeks.  Signor  Elia  Visconti  had  not  sent 
it  all,  for  Manzo  had  only  asked  for  6000,  which  was  the 
money  that  he  was  afraid  the  five  who  had  given  them- 
selves up  had  stolen,  and  I  now  found  out  the  cause  of  the 
delay.  The  letters  the  five  had  with  them  had  got  destroyed 
by  the  peasant  who  was  taking  them  to  Visconti's  house. 
The  date  of  the  next  letter  had  been  altered  by  Manzo,  and 
Signor  Visconti  feared  that  there  was  something  wrong, 
and  therefore  refused  to  pay  the  money,  as  he  had  done  be- 
fore, when  Lorenzo  demanded  it  without  any  at  all. 

The  brigands  were  now  in  good-humor,  and  told  me  that 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  July  31  to  August  22.      309 

I  should  be  free  in  a  week.  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Giffoni,  ask- 
ing for  the  money  to  be  sent  at  once,  and  in  my  excitement 
wrote  July  instead  of  August,  but  fortunately  found  it  out 
just  before  they  went  away.  I  asked  why  Manzo  had  been 
so  long  away,  and  was  told  that  he  had  had  much  business 
to  transact,  and  that  he  was  not  very  far  off.  I  believe  he 
joined  them  this  night  in  the  path  below,  and  went  to  Gif- 
foni with  them :  this  was  Wednesday,  the  16th.  I  expected 
that  they  would  return  from  Giffoni  on  Sunday  or  Monday, 
but  these  days  passed  without  hearing  any  tidings;  food 
began  to  fall  off;  the  peasant  who  had  supplied  us  declared 
it  impossible  to  obtain  any  more  from  the  town,  on  account 
of  the  vigilance  of  the  troops,  who  now  examined  and 
searched  all  persons  as  they  went  to  and  from  their  daily 
work.  Only  about  a  pound  of  bread  and  a  few  boiled  spikes 
of  maize  could  be  got,  and  this  had  to  suffice  for  the  five 
men  and  myself. 

One  evening  Antonio  appeared  in  a  magnificent  suit  of 
blue  cloth,  bound  and  striped  with  black  velvet,  with  a 
spread  eagle  with  red  eyes,  made  of  the  same  velvet,  on  the 
back.  The  buttons  were  gilt,  and  had  on  them  the  fleur-de- 
lys  of  the  Bourbons ;  he  also  had  got  a  tremendous  stiletto, 
of  which  he  was  very  proud.  While  we  were  in  the  grotto 
he  had  won  from  Andrea  his  revolver,  and  watch,  and  gold 
chain,  so  that  he  presented  quite  a  gay  appearance :  I  made 
him  turn  round  and  round  in  order  to  admire  him,  which 
pleased  him  immensely. 

During  these  days  gambling  went  on  vigorously,  and  two 
of  the  five  lost  the  whole  of  their  expected  spoils.  During 
the  whole  of  this  time  I  could  not  sleep  from  excitement, 
and  I  spent  all  the  nights  in  watching  the  stars,  which 
seemed  now  all  in  pairs,  two  and  two !  Before,  they  seemed 
far  from  each  other,  but  now  they  seemed  much  closer ; 


310  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

they  seemed  to  typify  the  separation  from  my  wife,  that  I 
had  to  undergo  all  these  weary  weeks.  I  always  saw  the 
morning  star  rising  with  magnificence  above  the  mountains 
in  the  east,  opposite  to  where  we  were,  followed  once  again 
by  the  sun,  which  soon  drove  us  to  seek  a  shelter  from  his 
burning  rays. 

No  food  now  came  up,  and  we  lived  for  two  days  on  noth- 
ing but  unripe  apples.  On  the  22d  of  August  we  went 
down  to  the  spring  below,  and  spent  the  next  day  among 
the  thick  underwood  at  the  head  of  the  valley. 

August  23.  This  was  Wednesday,  and  a  most  important 
day  to  me,  for  at  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  Anto- 
nio came  hurrying  up  from  fetching  water  with  the  news 
that  the  captain  had  sent  for  us.  I  dreaded  hearing  that 
there  was  another  disappointment,  and  for  some  time  I  was 
afraid  to  ask.  About  four  men  had  been  sent  to  us,  and 
among  them  was  Justi,  who  came  and  told  me  that  all  the 
money  was  paid,  and  that  I  was  to  be  set  free  to-morrow. 
The  news  was  too  good  for  me  to  believe ;  and  I  did  not 
believe  it  till  he  had  knelt  down,  and,  crossing  his  arms  on 
his  breast,  declared,  by  the  Madonna,  that  it  was  the  case. 
I  felt  so  intoxicated  that  I  could  hardly  walk,  and  a  crowd 
of  thoughts  rushed  suddenly  into  my  mind.  I  had  spent  a 
solitary  time,  often  not  speaking  for  days  to  the  men  guard- 
ing me,  so  that  I  had  become  almost  stupefied,  and  I  quite 
dreaded  the  turmoil  of  civilized  life.  I  would  have  given 
any  thing  to  have  escaped  quietly  straight  to  my  home  in 
England. 

In  about  an  hour  we  came  to  the  place  where  Manzo  and 
the  rest  of  his  band  were  waiting  for  us,  when,  to  my  as- 
tonishment, he  took  no  notice  of  me.  I  suppose  his  interest 
in  me  had  gone  now  that  he  had  bled  me  to  all  the  extent 
he  fancied  he  could,  and  all  he  wanted  with  me  was  to  get 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22.      311 

rid  of  me  safely,  for  he  had  promised  that  he  would  do  all 
he  could  to  keep  me  from  dauger ;  and  I  do  believe  that  he 
thought  himself  bound  by  honor  as  a  brigand  chief  to  de- 
liver the  Inglese  safe  to  his  friends. 

"We  walked  for  an  hour  or  two,  passing  a  little  to  the 
north  of  Acerno,  but  close  to  it,  and  stopped  to  sleep  for 
two  or  three  hours  under  some  enormous  chestnut-trees : 
this  was  the  first,  and,  I  trust,  the  last  time  I  shall  ever  do 
the  same  again,  for  the  thin,  sharp  prickles  of  the  outer  cov- 
ering of  the  nuts  pierced  my  thin  clothing,  and,  breaking 
off  in  the  skin,  had  the  most  irritating  effect  on  my  already 
tortured  body  for  some  days.  At  about  two  in  the  morn- 
ing we  went  up  the  mountain  to  the  east  of  Acerno,  and 
again  stopped  and  slept  till  seven  or  eight  o'clock — that  is, 
the  brigands  did,  for  not  a  wink  could  I  sleep.  I  had  not 
got  a  night's  rest  for  more  than  a  week,  but  the  exciting 
prospect  of  being  free  kept  up  my  strength.  To-day  I  saw 
the  money  counted  and  divided  into  17  shares;  it  was  orig- 
inally shared  by  twenty-eight.  Thirty  had  been  in  giro 
when  we  were  taken,  but  two  were  shot  by  the  troops  the 
next  day  at  Monte  Corvino ;  Luigi  had  fallen  over  the  preci- 
pice ;  five  had  been  taken  near  Giffoni ;  one  had  surrender- 
ed himself  after  the  fight  on  the  mountains  of  Callabritto ; 

one  was  shot  at  night  by  Signor  D as  he  was  returning 

from  foraging;  and  the  other  three  belonged  to  Cerino's 
band,  and,  after  the  quarrel,  were  not  allowed  to  share  any 
more  in  our  ransom. 

The  following  was  the  division:  Each  brigand  entitled 
to  a  share  had  200  Napoleons,  which  I  saw  counted  out  in 
four  sums  of  50,  this  being  Manzo's  way  of  reckoning.  A 
thousand  ducats  were  divided  among  the  four  men  that  be- 
longed to  Giardullo's  late  band,  and  the  other  thousand  kept 
for  the  general  expenses  of  the  band.     This  just  made  up 


312  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  whole  amount  of  the  last  installment  of  the  ransom  of 
the  two  Englishmen  taken  on  the  15th  of  May,  thus: 
17  shares,  200  Napoleons  each  ....  15,980  ducats. 

Giardullo's  men 1,000      " 

Reserved  for  expenses  of  band  ....     1,000      " 

17,980  ducats  * 

*  Though  the  brigands  were  very  deficient  in  education,  only  one  tenth 
being  able  to  read  or  write,  I  observed  that  they  could  all  cast  up  compli- 
cated accounts  in  a  wonderful  manner,  Pavone  and  the  captain  especially 
being  very  clever  at  it.  The  exchanges  used  in  brigand  money  transac- 
tions are  i  •!  ducats  to  the  Napoleon,  and  4.  -25  lire  to  the  ducat.  The 
ducat  (very  like  our  guinea,  an  imaginary  coin)  is  still  the  favorite  unit 
of  calculation  in  all  their  receipts  and  payments,  although  the  merchants 
and  bankers  at  Naples  have  adopted  the  franc  in  place  of  it. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moem,  July  31  to  August  25.     313 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  25. 

News  from  the  Band. — A  Visit  from  Talarico. — Otium  cum  dig.  after  an 
honorable  Career. — Talarico's  Advice  to  the  Captive's  Wife.  —  His 
chivalrous  Offer. — The  five  Brigands  at  Visconti's. — The  last  Letter 
from  the  Captive. — Reduction  of  the  Brigands'  Claim. — A  gallant 
Priest. — Another  Visit  to  General  Balegno. — His  Kindness. — Intense 
Excitement  when  the  Ransom  was  all  Paid. — Suspense. — Free  at  last. 
— Joy  too  deep  for  Words. 

On  the  evening  of  the  31st  of  July  I  walked  with  my 
friend's  children  to  a  lovely  bay  two  miles  from  the  house. 
Our  path  lay  along  the  side  of  a  hill,  looking  down  into  the 
luxuriant  vineyards  as  we  gradually  descended  to  the  beau- 
tiful little  bay,  with  its  silver  sands  sheltered  by  the  lofty 
rocks.  A  boiling  mineral  spring  flows  into  the  sea  here, 
and  makes  the  water  deliciously  warm.  We  were  just  go- 
ing to  bathe,  when  I  heard  a  man's  voice  calling, "  Mrs.  Mo- 
ens is  wanted  immediately ;  important  news  has  arrived." 
I  rushed  back  as  fast  as  I  could,  and  arrived  breathless  to 
find  that  Signor  Michele  di  Majo  had  come  to  tell  me  that 
there  had  been  an  encounter  with  the  brigands,  and  that 
two  had  been  captured — their  clothes  and  boots  were  very 
much  worn,  and  they  were  evidently  hard  pressed.  My 
husband,  they  said,  was  concealed  in  a  grotto  under  the 
guard  of  several  of  the  band.  I  stood  in  a  strong  draught 
while  listening  to  this  story,  and  the  consequence  was  that 
T  was  seriously  ill  for  days  afterward. 

O 


314  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

On  the  2d  of  August  the  celebrated  ex-brigand  chief,  Ta- 
larico,  paid  rne  a  visit.  This  man,  whose  story  is  related  by 
Count  Maffei  in  his  "  History  of  Italian  Brigandage,"  had  a 
most  successful  career ;  the  Bourbon  government,  finding  it 
impossible  to  put  him  down  by  force,  had  at  last  offered 
him  pardon  and  a  pension  on  condition  that  he  should  not 
leave  the  island  of  Iscbia.*  He  is  an  extremely  handsome 
man,  very  tall,  with  the  smallest  and  most  delicate  hands. 
He  sat  and  talked  with  us  over  a  bottle  of  wine,  becoming 
more  communicative  and  animated  at  every  glass. 

One  story  he  told  amused  us  much.  Having  heard  that 
a  rich  old  proprietor  had  once  spoken  against  brigands,  Ta- 
larico  and  some  of  his  men  appeared  before  him  suddenly 
one  day  as  he  was  walking  in  his  garden,  and  placing  their 
guns  at  his  breast,  made  him  take  them  into  his  house  as  if 
they  were  his  friends,  order  his  mule,  and  ride  away  with 
them.  On  their  way  they  met  a  poor  country  doctor :  they 
stopped  him,  and  asked  him  to  dress  the  arm  of  one  of  the 
band,  which  he  did,  extracting  from  it  four  bullets.  They 
gave  him  a  handsome  present  of  money,  together  with  a  let- 
ter, which  he  was  to  take  from  Talarico  to  a  rich  tailor. 
The  letter,  when  opened,  contained  these  words :  "  Make 
this  man  an  entire  suit  of  clothes,"  which,  of  course,  was 
done  immediately,  the  tailor  not  daring  to  refuse. 

Talarico  evidently  considered  my  husband's  position  a 
very  serious  one.  He  told  me  the  soldiers  would  never  be 
allowed  to  take  him  alive ;  he  advised  my  taking  the  ran- 
som myself,  telling  me  the  brigands  would  not  hurt  me.  I 
was  to  ride  on  a  donkey,  with  the  gold  concealed  in  the  sad- 
dle. He  offered  to  accompany  me  as  guide,  if  he  could  get 
permission  from  the  authorities.     I  determined  to  go,  as  I 

*  For  an  account  of  Talarico,  sec  also  the  very  interesting  work  of  Mr. 
Hilton,  "Brigandage  in  South  Italy,"  vol.  i.,  p.  250. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  25.     315 

could  get  no  pass  from  the  government,  and  had  lost  all 
hopes  of  the  authorities  being  able  to  help  me.  I  had  wea- 
ried General  Balegno  with  visits,  and  entreaties  to  keep 
back  the  troops,  who  were  pressing  the  brigands,  and  pre- 
venting them  from  getting  food.  He  had  assured  me  he 
had  no  power  to  do  so,  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  follow 
Talarico's  advice,  and  asked  him  to  write  a  letter  for  me  to 
take  to  Manzo.     This  he  consented  to  do  at  once.* 

I  asked  Talarico  which  he  liked  best,  a  brigand's  life  or 
an  honest  man's  life.  He  replied  instantly,  "  Oh,  an  honest 
man's  career;  a  brigand's  life  is  this,"  and  he  turned  his 
head  over  the  right  shoulder,  and  then  over  the  left,  as  if 
fearing  an  enemy;  this  gesture  spoke  volumes.  I  under- 
stood at  once  the  wretched  life  of  continual  suspicion,  dis- 
trust, vigilance,  and  fear  which  the  brigand  leads.  His  hand 
is  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  is  against  his. 

I  received  a  letter  on  the  1st  of  August  from  my  friend, 
Mr.  Richard  Holme,  for  whose  disinterested  and  unselfish 
exertions,  involving  the  greatest  danger,  my  husband  and  I 
can  not  feel  sufficiently  grateful.  His  brother,  too,  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Holme,  never  omitted  an  opportunity  of  sending  or 
bringing  me  the  slightest  information  that  might  give  me 
hope  or  comfort.  Alas!  I  really  needed  it.  It  was  now 
twelve  weeks  since  I  had  parted  with  my  husband.  I  can 
only  try  to  feel  that  he  is  in  God's  hands,  who  will  guard 
and  keep  him,  now  and  through  eternity.  I  think  of  all  the 
promises  to  help  the  weak,  to  loosen  the  prisoner  out  of 
captivity,  during  these  long,  weary  days,  and  still  longer 
nights,  when  I  can  not  sleep. 

Mr.  Holme  informed  me  that  immediately  on  his  last  ar- 
rival at  Salerno  he  saw  both  the  prefect  and  one  of  the  gen- 
eral's staff  officers.  Signor  Visconti  had  been  requested  to 
*  A  copy  of  this  curious  epistle  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  I. 


316  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

come  to  Salerno  on  the  following  morning  to  meet  him,  but 
had  sent  no  answer.  Next  morning  a  letter  came  from 
Signor  Visconti,  stating  that,  in  consequence  of  the  threats 
of  five  brigands — who  were  hovering  about  his  house,  say- 
ing that  they  were  sent  by  Manzo  for  the  money — he  could 
not  come ;  but  that,  as  they  produced  no  letter  to  prove 
their  identity,  Signor  V.  had  very  properly  refused  to  part 
with  a  cent,  it  being  very  probable  that  these  men  had  sep- 
arated from  the  main  body,  and  were  acting  on  their  own 
account.  They  had  threatened  him  in  such  terms  that  he 
dared  not  leave  his  house. 

Mr.  Holme  thereupon  went  to  Giffoni,  and  saw  the  au- 
thorities and  Signor  Visconti.  The  latter  begged  that  the 
money  might  be  at  once  removed  from  his  house,  as  he  con- 
sidered his  life  was  endangered.  On  this  point  Mr.  Holme 
tried  to  reassure  him,  telling  him  plainly  that,  unless  some 
equally  safe  channel  were  found,  he  must  continue  to  hold 
the  money,  since  the  brigands,  knowing  that  he  had  it, 
would  come  upon  him  for  the  loss  of  it,  if  he  were  not  ready 
at  any  moment  to  pay  it. 

If  these  five  brigands  were  really  not  sent  by  Manzo,  Mr. 
Holme  thinks  it  probable  that  Manzo  will  suspect  they  have 
either  taken  the  money  and  escaped,  or  that  they  have  been 
taken,  in  which  case  he  will  endeavor  to  find  some  other 
channel  of  communication. 

The  4th  of  August,  our  wedding-day,  was  intensely  mis- 
erable, only  brightened  somewhat  by  hearing  that  Manzo's 
mother  had  got  another  pass,  and  had  started  to  see  her 
son.  She  may  bring  back  news  of  my  husband.  I  heard 
also  to-day  that  two  brigands  had  surrendered  themselves, 
and  that  another  had  been  arrested.  Mr.  Holme  had  been 
with  an  escort  of  Bersaglieri  to  see  them,  and  found  that 
they  either  knew  or  would  tell  nothing  of  my  husband,  ex- 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  25.      317 

cept  that  they  had  seen  him  a  month  ago,  when  he  wns 
pretty  well.  They  were  part  of  the  five  who  threatened 
Signor  Visconti. 

On  the  6th  of  August  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Bon- 
ham,  telling  me  that  a  letter  had  arrived  from  my  husband 
so  distressing  in  its  character  that  he  would  not  forward  it 
to  me,  adding, "  He  complains  of  suffering  acutely  from  fa- 
tigue and  exhaustion,  and  deficiency  of  food,  and  begs  that 
money  be  sent  at  once  for  his  ransom."  On  receiving  this 
letter,  Visconti  sent  off"  on  Thursday  morning  last  all  the 
money  he  had  in  the  house,  Tor  which  Manzo  has  sent  a  re- 
ceipt. Manzo's  mother  saw  her  son  and  the  band,  and  im- 
plored them  to  give  up  their  prisoners :  some  agreed,  the 
majority  would  not,  unless  they  received  30,000  ducats  in 
all,  and  they  would  have  an  answer  to-day.  On  receiving 
these  letters  I  sent  for  Mr.  Aynsley  and  Mr.  Holme.  After 
consulting  together,  we  determined  that  the  money  ought 
to  be  sent  without  delay,  or  waiting  reference  to  you ;  and 
the  money  probably  is,  ere  this,  at  Giffbni.  Mr.  Moens  was 
not  with  the  band  when  Manzo's  mother  and  the  messen- 
gers saw  them." 

The  same  day  I  also  received  the  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Aynsley : 

"  Naples,  August  5th,  1 865. 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Moens, — Manzo's  mother  has  just  re- 
turned from  a  visit  to  her  son.  She  says  he  will  accept 
30,000  ducats.  The  balance  will  be  sent  at  once ;  Richard 
Holme  takes  the  money.  The  £1000  at  Visconti's  was  just 
a  month  in  reaching  them,  and  you  must  therefore  not  be 
surprised  if  the  money  to  be  sent  to-day  is  as  long  at  the 
same  place  before  it  obtains  your  husband's  liberation. 
"  In  haste,  yours  very  sincerely, 

"  J.  C.  Murray  Aynsley." 


318  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

I  determined  to  go  immediately  to  Naples  to  learn  the 
contents  of  the  letter  which  Mr.  Bonham  spoke  of,  and 
started  at  half  past  three  on  the  morning  of  the  *7th.  I  had 
now  become  more  courageous,  and  I  embarked  alone  in  a 
little  boat  to  meet  the  steamer.  We  rowed  for  an  hour, 
the  sailors,  who  all  knew  my  story,  being  most  kind  to  me. 
The  sun  was  rising  from  the  sea,  turning  into  gold  all  the 
rosy  clouds  that  seemed  hurrying  out  of  his  way ;  the  stars, 
softly  and  imperceptibly,  were  vanishing  —  and  such  lovely 
stars !  I  had  been  watching  them  all  the  night  through 
my  open  window.  If  it  were  Lot  for  the  beauty  of  Nature 
one  might  be  tempted  sometimes  to  doubt  of  Heaven,  but 
its  surpassing  loveliness  is  an  earnest  of  the  Paradise  to 
come. 

I  arrived  at  Naples  in  the  midst  of  a  tremendous  storm 
of  rain.  To  my  dismay,  not  a  carriage  was  to  be  seen ;  it 
was  impossible  to  walk,  for  the  streets  were  running  with 
water.  At  last  I  saw  a  carriage  approaching  laden  with 
luggage,  but  no  one  inside.  I  rushed  to  it,  and,  despite  the 
opposition  of  the  men  in  charge  of  it,  jumped  in  and  sat 
down,  not  paying  the  least  attention  to  their  assurances 
that  it  was  engaged.  Presently  a  priest  came  up  and  in- 
formed me  that  the  luggage  Avas  his.  I  made  an  appeal  to 
his  feelings,  telling  him  that  I  was  a  foreigner — an  English- 
woman, and  alone.  He  smiled,  and  politely  begged  me  to 
keep  the  carriage,  ordering  his  luggage  to  be  taken  off,  to 
the  great  indignation  of  the  porters,  who  had  just  piled  it 
up.  I  went  to  our  consul  general,  begging  him  to  give  me 
my  husband's  letter.  He  refused  at  first,  but  I  insisted  on 
having  it.  It  was,  indeed,  very  terrible.*  What  were  we 
to  do? 

Mr.  Bonham  immediately  sent  a  telegram  to  our  Foreign 
*  A  copy  of  this  letter  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  H. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moens,  July  31  to  August  22.      319 

Office,  and  another  to  Florence.  I  determined  to  hear  the 
result,  and  then  (contrary  to  the  advice  of  all  my  friends  ex- 
cept Mr.  Bonham)  to  start  at  once  for  Salerno,  to  try  and 
persuade  the  general  to  keep  back  the  troops,  so  that  we 
might  attempt  to  send  the  money;  it  is  so  hard  that  it 
should  be  waiting  here  with  no  possibility  of  paying  it.  I 
then  went  on  to  Salerno  and  visited  the  general.  I  begged 
and  entreated  him,  with  tears,  almost  on  my  knees,  to  keep 
back  the  troops.  He  listened  very  kindly,  tried  to  soothe 
me,  but  would  give  no  positive  answer.  I  then  told  him  of 
Talarico's  plan,  and  that  I  was  determined  to  go  myself  to 
the  brigands  with  the  money.  He  held  up  his  hands  in 
horror,  and  said  that  it  was  folly  —  madness !  I  told  him  I 
was  not  afraid  of  the  brigands;  the  only  obstacle  to  our 
messengers  was  his  soldiers ;  if  they  stopped  me  I  should 
tell  them  who  I  was,  and  I  was  sure  they  would  not  hurt 
me.  He  begged  me  to  give  up  such  a  wild  plan,  and  to 
have  patience. 

I  went  back  to  the  hotel,  and  wrote  to  General  Delia 
Marmora  again.  I  received  a  kind  telegram  in  reply,  beg- 
ging me  to  keep  my  mind  quiet,  but  promising  nothing. 

The  general  has  just  sent  an  aid-de-camp  to  tell  me  he 
can  not,  consistently  with  his  honor,  keep  back  the  troops ; 
he  sent  a  gentleman  also  who  told  me  horrible  stories  about 
the  brigands'  treatment  of  women,  with  the  view,  I  sup- 
pose, of  dissuading  me  from  adopting  Talarico's  plan. 

Aug.  8.  I  have  just  heard  from  Mr.  Aynsley  that  Manzo's 
mother  has  returned.  She  did  not  see  my  husband,  but 
she  heard  that  there  was  great  quarreling  among  the  band 
about  him,  Manzo  declaring  that  he  will  let  him  go  for 
30,000  ducats,  the  others  objecting,  but  being  likely  to  give 
in.     This  is,  indeed,  good  news,  if  true,*  as  one  or  two  mes- 

*  It  was  afterward  ascertained  that  the  letters  procured  and  forwarded 


320         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

sengers  more  will  be  able  to  carry  the  remainder  of  the 
ransom.  It  has  been  arranged  that  if  the  brigand!  do  not 
come  to  meet  the  messenger,  he  is  to  go  every  day  to  the 

appointed  place,  while  Signor  D waits  the  result  at 

Visconti's  house.  My  dreadful  fear  now  is  that  the  troops 
will  drive  them  away  from  their  present  position,  and  then 
it  will  be  weeks  again  before  we  can  hear  from  the  band ; 
they  are  hardly  pressed  now,  and  nearly  worn  out ;  they 
said  the  troops  often  pass  ten  yards  from  where  they  lie 
concealed.  My  husband  is  not  with  the  main  body,  but 
hidden  in  a  grotto,  in  charge  of  a  small  party.  Oh,  that  our 
government  would  press  the  Italian  government  to  keep 
back  their  troops,  if  but  for  a  few  hours  only,  or  my  hus- 
band will  yet  be  sacrificed !  He  reproaches  me  in  his  let- 
ter with  abandoning  him !  If  we  do  not  within  a  few  days 
get  his  freedom,  I  believe  that  he  will  be  dead  with  hunger 
arid  exhaustion. 

Aug.  9.  The  brigands  are  still  near  Giflbni,  and  have  sent 

a  letter  from  W ,  but  Signor  Visconti  will  not  give  the 

money,  for  the  letter  is  dated  a  month  hack!  and  he  thinks 
he  may  not  be  alive.  Faith  and  patience  are  tried  indeed, 
and  sorely  needed  here. 

After  this,  nearly  a  week  passed  without  farther  news; 
the  days  dragged  on  heavily ;  the  heat  was  dreadful,  the 
loneliness  oppressive.  It  was  impossible  to  go  out;  the 
general  kindly  sent  me  books.  I  tried  to  read  them,  to 
keep  my  thoughts  a  little  from  brooding  over  the  horrors 
I  imagined.  I  do  not  know  how  I  managed  to  bear  this  so 
long.  "When  trouble  first  comes  upon  us,  we  are  apt  to 
think  it  intolerable,  little  knowing  how  much  deeper  and 

by  Messrs.  C and  Holme  on  the  31st  of  July,  which  only  reached 

Manzo  with  the  £1000  at  the  beginning  of  August,  were  the  cause  of  this 
reduction  in  the  oripinal  claim. 


Diary  of  Mrs.  Moe?is,  July  31  to  August  22.      321 

deeper  we  may  sink,  and  yet  be  sustained  by  our  Father's 
hand.  I  seemed  indeed  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death ;  all  I  know  is,  that,  in  the  thick  darkness  that  cov- 
ered me,  naught  but  His  hand  kept  me  from  falling  into  de- 
spair. On  the  16th  I  heard  that  Visconti's  servant  had  met 
Manzo  in  the  mountains,  and  was  made  to  march  three 
days  with  him  in  search  of  the  party  who  have  care  of  my 
husband,  but  without  success. 

Aug.  21.  The  brigands  have  forwarded  a  letter  from  my 
husband  acknowledging  that  £3000  has  been  paid  to  them. 
This  is  a  fearfully  exciting  day !  Will  they  keep  faith  and 
release  him  ?  God  only  knows.  This  contingency,  which 
I  did  not  fear  before,  now  seems  to  afford  me  the  greatest 
possible  alarm. 

Aug.  22.  Mr.  R.  Holme  has  just  been,  with  the  happy 
news  that  the  brigands  will  release  my  husband  directly 
they  have  put  the  money  in  a  place  of  safety,  perhaps  the 
day  after  to-morrow.  I  can  not  read,  or  walk,  or  sleep. 
Can  it  be  true  ?* 

The  three  next  days  I  passed  alone,  weary  with  waiting 
and  waiting  for  the  expected  news,  till  on  the  evening  of 
the  25th  I  was  almost  out  of  my  mind  with  fear  and  excite- 
ment lest  the  brigands  should  not  now  keep  faith.  What 
should  we  do  ?  I  had  had  so  many  disappointments  that  I 
now  lost  all  hope.  When  the  long  and  weary  day  was  at 
an  end  I  went  to  bed,  and,  worn  out  with  anxiety,  fell  asleep. 
At  half  past  three  I  was  awoke  by  the  joyful  tidings  that 
my  husband  was  free!  The  hideous  dream  of  so  many 
weeks  was  over,  but  I  could  scarcely  believe  the  news  was 
true  until  Mr.  R.  Holme  came  to  fetch  me,  and  we  drove 
away  together,  accompanied  by  an  escort  of  soldiers,  to 
meet  my  husband  at  GifFoni. 

*  Manzo's  Receipt  is  given  in  Appendix  K. 
O  2 


322         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

"  When  the  Lord  turned  again  the  captivity  of  Zion,  we 
were  like  them  that  dream ;  then  was  our  mouth  filled 
with  laughter,  and  our  tongue  with  singing ;  then  said  they 
among  the  heathen,  the  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for 
them.  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof 
we  are  glad." 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.        323 


CHAPTER  XVni. 
Diaey  op  Mr.  Moens,  Concluded:  August  24  to  26. 

The  sudden  Redaction  of  the  Ransom  accounted  for. — The  Soldiers  rath- 
er too  near. — I  am  still  in  imminent  Danger. — Manzo  goes  round  with 
the  Hat  for  me. — Parting  Civilities. — Interchange  of  Gifts. — Pasquale's 
Generosity. — Pavone  is  affectionate. — I  bid  him  a  fond  Adieu. — One 
more  Night  in  the  Woods. — Arrival  of  Tedesco,  my  Guide.  — Manzo's 
Mother. — My  parting  Advice  to  Manzo. — My  elegant  Appearance. — 
Kindness  of  the  Peasants. — Crosses  on  the  Mountains. — In  sight  of 
Giffoni. — My  Reception  there. — Kindness  of  the  Visconti  Family. — 
Arrival  of  my  Wife  at  Giffoni. — We  return  together  to  Salerno. 

The  morning  of  the  24th  of  August  was  most  exciting 
for  me,  already  in  a  perfect  fever  as  I  was  from  the  want  of 
sleep  during  the  last  week.  I  had  been  promised  my  free- 
dom to-day,  and  expected  every  moment  that  Signor  Vis- 
conti's  old  shepherd,  Fortunato  Tedesco,  would  come  up  to 
guide  me  to  Giffoni.  Though  not  so  carefully  looked  after 
as  before,  I  had  still  to  behave  as  one  of  the  band,  lest  my 
movements  should  betray  them.  During  the  walk  of  the 
last  night  twenty  of  the  brigands  went  into  a  field  of  maize, 
and  each  of  them  had  at  least  twenty  or  thirty  spikes  when 
they  returned  to  us ;  this  will  show  the  mischief  done  in 
about  ten  minutes  by  these  robbers.  This  was  the  only 
food  the  band  had  all  the  rest  of  the  time  I  was  with  them, 
and  a  most  indigestible  diet  it  is  when  cooked  by  being 
simply  thrown  on  the  live  embers  of  a  wood  fire. 

To-day  Manzo  gave  me  some  letters  he  had  kept  from  me 


324  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

for  a  long  time.  One  was  from  my  friend  H.  C ,  in  En- 
glish, which  gave  me  the  first  intimation  I  received  of  his 
having  come  out  from  England  to  Naples  to  try  and  procure 
my  liberation. 

There  was  another  from  my  wife,  half  in  English,  which 
was  most  painful  for  me  to  read,  for  it  showed  the  anguish 
from  which  she  was  suffering.  There  were  also  letters  from 
Mr.  Bonham  and  Mr.  Holme ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  there 
was  one  which  gave  me  the  clew  to  the  reduction  of  the 
ransom  from  50,000  to  30,000  ducats,  viz.,  an  official  letter 
from  the  prefect  at  Salerno  to  my  wife,  stating  that  the 
Italian  government  had  not  paid  and  would  not  pay  a  ducat 
toward  our  ransom.  My  captors  had  evidently  believed 
that  the  prefect  in  this  letter  expressed  the  real  intention 
of  his  government ;  but  I  must  say  that  I  sincerely  trust  the 
worthy  prefect  was  mistaken,  and  that  the  Italian  govern- 
ment will,  sooner  or  later,  compensate  Mr.  Aynsley  and  me 
for  the  losses  inflicted  on  us  through  the  negligence  of  their 
subordinates.  These  letters  were  all  sent  on  to  Giffoni  on 
the  3d  of  July,  with  the  third  installment  of  the  ransom.* 
They  were  the  first  I  had  received  for  two  months,  my  last 
dates  being  the  23d  of  June,  and  it  was  now  the  24th  of 
August !  No  one  can  imagine  the  anguish  I  suffered  from 
not  having  any  news  all  this  time :  sometimes  the  wretches 
would  tell  me  my  wife  was  dead  or  gone  to  England  ;  at 
other  times  they  would  say  that  she  was  well  and  at  Naples. 

Manzo  now  asked  me  for  all  my  letters,  and  kept  all  those 
written  in  English,  but  returned  me  the  others;  he  also 
asked  for  my  dear  little  Prayer-book  and  Fenelon,  and 
quietly  put  them  in  his  pocket.  I  had  the  greatest  difficul- 
ty in  inducing  him  to  let  me  have  them  back,  for  he  feared 
lest  I  had  made  any  notes  in  them  that  might  prove  injuri- 
*  See  jiage  209, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.  325 

ous  to  the  band ;  but  at  last,  after  carefully  examining  them, 
he  allowed  me  to  take  them  with  me.  My  notes,  which  I 
had  made  in  a  small  Letts's  Diary,  I  had  cut  out  some  days 
before,  and  concealed  in  the  inner  lining  of  my  waistcoat. 
I  then  wrote  some  more  in  the  little  book  on  purpose  for 
them  to  tear  out.  Mauzo  did  this  at  once  on  my  offering 
the  little  book  for  his  inspection.  These  notes  have  proved 
of  the  greatest  service  in  enabling  me  to  sketch  out  this 
narrative,  fixing  the  days  on  which  we  changed  our  hiding- 
places,  and  recalling  to  mind  many  things  that  would  other- 
wise certainly  have  escaped  my  memory. 

Hour  after  hour  I  waited  for  Tedesco,  but  he  did  not  ap- 
pear. 

There  was  great  gambling  going  on  to-day.  I  saw  Man- 
zo  lose  seventy  Napoleons  at  one  toss.  Two  others  of  the 
band  lost  all  their  share,  and  the  money  was  now  nearly  all 
in  the  hands  of  the  captain,  Andrea,  Generoso,  and  Pasquale. 
We  moved  a  little  up  the  mountain,  when  all  at  once  we 
heard  in  the  valley  below  a  great  noise  of  people  talking 
loudly,  and  the  brigands,  going  to  reconnoitre,  returned  with 
the  intelligence  that  there  was  a  large  force  of  soldiers  sur- 
rounding the  mountain.  This  was  most  unsatisfactory  news 
for  me,  for  Manzo  made  me  follow  the  band  up  the  mount- 
ain, and  if  it  came  to  a  fight,  I  felt  sure  that  either  the  brig- 
ands (especially  Scope)  or  the  soldiers  would  certainly  make 
me  a  target,  and  that  I  should  have  the  pleasure  of  being 
shot  after  all  the  ransom  had  been  paid,  or  have  the  satis- 
faction of  spending  several  more  days  with  the  band,  should 
it  be  necessary  to  take  me  with  them  to  another  neighbor- 
hood. I  told  them  that  I  did  not  believe  the  soldiers  knew 
of  or  were  looking  for  the  band,  for  if  they  were,  they 
would  never  make  so  much  noise.  I  thought  of  the  quiet 
movements  of  English  troops,  contrasted  with  the  hubbub 


326         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

below,  where  every  private  was  trying  to  outbawl  his  com- 
rade. In  a  short  time  I  heard  the  joyful  news  that  they 
were  moving  away  in  the  direction  of  Bagnuolo,  conveying 
with  them  a  number  of  peasants,  whom  they  had  arrested 
for  aiding  the  brigands.  All  these  prisoners  were  mounted 
on  mules  and  donkeys,  having  their  feet  tied  together  under 
the  beasts  (as  I  was  told  by  Pavone)  to  prevent  them  from 
escaping.  It  was  the  greatest  relief  to  me  to  see  them  de- 
part, with  their  muskets  flashing  in  the  sun,  for  I  was  so 
afraid  that  Manzo  would  think  that  there  was  some  conniv- 
ance between  the  authorities  and  my  friends,  the  latter  help- 
ing to  do  what  they  could  to  exterminate  the  brigands  now 
that  they  thought  I  had  been  set  free. 

If  the  soldiers  had  by  chance  seen  or  got  information  of 
the  whereabouts  of  the  band,  the  brigands  certainly  would 
have  thought  this,  and  would  have  cut  my  throat  in  an  in- 
stant. I  always  had  the  greatest  horror  of  the  stiletto  in 
the  possession  of  Pavone,  which  had  taken  the  lives  of  two 
peasants  who  had  come  under  the  term  of  infame.  This 
weapon  on  one  occasion  had  been  lent  to  Scope,  when  he 
was  my  sole  guardian  one  evening,  for  the  purpose  of  using 
against  me  should  I  suddenly  attack  him.  This  had  not 
been  intended  for  me  to  see ;  but  as  I  was  always  attend- 
ing to  the  slightest  action  on  the  part  of  my  captors,  I  had 
noticed  the  stiletto  passed  from  the  one  to  the  other.  At 
about  five  o'clock  there  was  a  grand  consultation  about 
their  next  movements,  Giardullo's  late  followers  taking  a 
great  lead,  and  insisting  on  their  advice  being  followed, 
and  eventually  they  got  the  best  of  the  argument.  I  could 
clearly  see  that  these  four  men  would  have  a  great  influence 
in  the  actions  of  Manzo's  band ;  and  that,  having  very  little 
money,  and  being  very  determined  old  hands  at  brigandage, 
they  would  not  fail  to  keep  the  province  in  a  constant  state 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.        327 

of  agitation,  and  this  has  very  soon  proved  to  be  the  case.* 
Manzo  and  seven  of  his  men  had  not  only  to  deliver  me 
over  to  the  guide,  but  to  get  bread,  and  (as  I  distinctly 
heard)  to  receive  some  money.  This  confirmed  me  in  an 
idea  I  had  formed  that  there  was  another  prisoner  in  their 
hands,  for  some  of  the  band  were  absent,  and  I  could  not 
account  for  this  in  any  other  way.  We  had  a  fortnight  ago 
heard  that  Manzo  had  gone  down  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
somebody. 

Before  they  separated,  Manzo  took  off  his  wide-awake, 
and,  putting  some  Napoleons  in  it,  went  round  making  a 
collection  for  me  (as  he  expressed  it), "  to  go  to  Naples  like 
a  gentleman !"  They  were  not  as  generous  as  he  expected, 
and  he  went  to  the  bag  of  gold  carried  by  Generoso  for  the 
expenses  of  the  band,  and  made  up  from  the  general  fund 
the  sum  of  seventeen  and  a  half  Napoleons,  which  he  hand- 
ed over  to  me.  I  on  this  asked  him  for  a  very  thick,  long 
gold  chain  he  always  wore :  he  was  taking  it  off  to  give  to 
me,  when  he  was  called  away  by  some  one,  and  I  lost  the 
intended  gift.  Generoso  gave  me  a  ring  as  a  keepsake.  I 
asked  him  for  his  knife  which  had  taken  the  lives  of  two 
men,  and  which  I  wanted  to  show  as  a  specimen  of  a  brig- 
and's weapon.  When  open  it  was  more  than  twelve  inches 
in  length,  and  a  terrible  cut-throat  implement;  the  handle 
was  of  horn,  ornamented  and  inlaid  with  silver.  At  first  he 
declared  that  he  had  lost  it,  but  I  got  hold  of  his  jacket  and 
produced  it.  I  told  him  that  we  had  paid  him  30,000  duc- 
ats, and  he  could  easily  get  another,  while  in  England  it 
would  be  looked  on  as  a  great  curiosity;  at  last  he  con- 
sented, and  asked  me  for  my  tiny  penknife,  which  I  gave 

*  At  the  present  time  (Nov.  1)  this  same  band  have  no  less  than  five 
captives — M.  Wenner,  of  Salerno,  and  some  of  his  employes,  and  a  M. 
Anfre,  a  schoolmaster,  who  had  been  in  their  hands  once  before. 


328  English  Trawlers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

him  in  exchange.  He  did  not  at  all  like  pai'ting  with  his, 
and  constantly  regretted  its  loss  afterward.  Pasquale,  the 
man  who,  not  participating  in  our  ransom,  perpetually  de- 
manded that  my  ears  should  be  cut  off,  and  had  always  ill- 
treated  me,  now  came  up,  and,  to  my  great  astonishment, 
gave  me  two  more  Napoleons,  which  I  accepted  with  thanks, 
considering  it  perfectly  right  on  my  part  to  take  all  they 
offered  me. 

All  the  rest  of  the  band  now  went  off  to  the  eastward — 
I  believe,  from  a  large  map  of  the  province  I  afterward  in- 
spected in  England,  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bagnuolo,  and 
I  then  saw  them  for  the  last  time.  Before  they  went,  Pa- 
vone,  who  had  had  the  special  care  of  me  all  the  time  I  was 
with  them,  came  to  me  and  put  up  his  face  for  me  to  kiss 
him ;  but  this  was  more  than  I  could  stand,  and  I  contented 
myself  with  shaking  hands  with  him. 

It  was  now  about  six  o'clock,  and  I  was  now  told  to  fol- 
low Manzo  and  his  party,  and  was  taken  down  the  mount- 
ain toward  a  place  where  some  cattle  were  feeding.  I  was 
told  to  sit  down  while  they  ran  to  the  herds  and  had  a  long 
talk.  They  returned  without  gettiug  any  thing,  for  the 
peasants  refused  to  carry  bread,  declai-ing  that  it  was  cer- 
tain death  for  them  to  do  so. 

I  was  now  taken  along  the  valley  and  made  to  sit  in  places 
where  the  expected  guides  could  easily  see  me,  but  without 
any  result,  though  the  brigands  constantly  shouted,  in  order 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  guides,  in  the  manner  in  which 
the  peasants  call  one  to  the  other  in  the  mountains. 

They  then  went  to  the  peasants  again  who  were  passing 
near,  driving  their  cattle  toward  Acerno,  and  arrangements 
were  made  to  obtain  other  guides  should  Visconti's  men  not 
appear.  I  was  most  anxious  to  make  my  own  way  to 
Acerno,  and  then  get  some  one  to  go  with  me  to  Giffoni. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moms,  August  24  to  26.  329 

M  Would  you  not  be  afraid,"  they  said, "  to  go  alone  in  these 
mountains  and  perish?"  to  which  I  replied,  "I  have  not 
been  afraid  of  you,  who  are  far  worse  than  any  others  I  am 
likely  to  meet,  and  what  should  I  fear  with  a  good  con- 
science ?"  They  began  to  talk  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
country  I  had  shown  all  the  time;  but  at  last  the  captain 
told  me  that  I  had  better  wait  till  the  next  morning,  when 
guides  were  sure  to  arrive.  I  knew  this  was  a  command, 
and  had  to  make  up  my  mind  to  another  night  in  the  woods ; 
but  little  sleep  did  I  get,  thinking  of  seeing  those  from  whom 
I  had  been  separated  so  long. 

August  25.  Though  I  had  been  promised  that  the  guides 
would  come  at  daybreak  to  take  me  away,  five,  six,  seven 
o'clock  came  without  their  appearance,  and  I  was  in  despair. 
Guange  and  Catane  were  with  me,  the  former  asking  me 
not  to  speak  of  him  at  Xaples,  for  he  was  well  known  there. 
I  told  him  he  need  not  fear  my  saying  any  thing  that  would 
hurt  him,  for  the  authorities  knew  much  more  of  him  than 
I  did,  as  I  did  not  know  whether  he  was  called  by  a  nick- 
name or  not. 

All  at  once,  at  about  half  past  seven,  to  my  intense  joy, 
Tedesco,  Visconti's  old  shepherd,  walked  up  from  the  place 
where  Manzo  and  the  others  were.  He  was  so  pleased  to 
see  me  that  he  would  kiss  me,  and  I  had  not  the  heart  to  re- 
fuse him.  My  first  question  was  to  inquire  all  about  my 
wife,  and  I  was  deeply  thankful  to  learn  that  she  was  quite 
well,  and  had  escaped  all  malarial  fever,  which  is  so  prev- 
alent in  Naples  in  summer.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been 
hunting  every  where  for  the  band  since  the  night  of  Sun- 
day, the  20th,  when  the  £3000  were  paid.  He  had  a  com- 
panion to  help  him  to  carry  the  money,  which  weighed 
nearly  forty  pounds,  and  was  as  much  as  they  could  carry 
up  the  mountains ;  and  that  it  was  a  most  dangerous  task, 


330          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigand*. 

although  they  had  been  promised  the  protection  of  both  the 
Italian  and  English  governments.  They  had  run  the  great- 
est danger  from  the  troops,  who  would  certainly,  he  said, 
have  shot  them  had  they  caught  them  carrying  money  to 
the  brigands.  He  told  me  that  he  was  worn  out  with  the 
fatigue  and  hunger  he  had  undergone  during  the  last  six 
days,  not  having  slept  once  in  a  house  all  that  time,  and  that 
he  would  have  given  up  the  search  for  the  band  had  he  not 
fallen  in  with  them  this  morning,  though  he  had  vowed  not 
to  return  without  me.  Last  night  he  had  slept  on  the  other 
side  of  the  mountain  opposite  us,  not  having  the  slightest 
idea  that  we  were  so  close  to  him. 

He  now  went  back  to  Manzo,  and  sent  an  old  woman, 
who  proved  to  be  Manzo's  mother,  to  me ;  she  had  brought 
a  small  loaf  of  white  bread  and  a  little  omelette  for  me, 
which  luxuries  seemed  to  be  most  delicious  after  the  coarse 
fare  I  had  been  subjected  to  lately.  It  seemed  very  curious 
seeing  any  one  in  woman's  dress,  to  which  I  had  been  a 
stranger  for  so  long  a  time. 

When  the  old  lady  went  away  Manzo  came  to  me,  and, 
sitting  down,  asked  me  what  I  should  say  to  the  prefect 
when  he  questioned  me  about  his  band.  I  told  him  that  I 
should  tell  him  that  he  and  his  band  of  about  30  men  had 
been  a  match  for  an  army  of  10,000  men,  and  that  he  had 
proved  himself  the  cleverer  of  the  two.  This  pleased  him 
immensely,  and  he  quite  rubbed  his  hands  with  glee,  and 
immediately  gave  me  two  rings,  which  I  put  on  my  fingers 
in  brigand  fashion.  Contrary  to  his  usual  practice,  he  did 
not  caution  me  against  telling  about  the  band  and  their  pro- 
ceedings, which  greatly  surprised  me,  for  the  Viscontis  had 
been  cautioned  and  threatened  in  a  most  violent  manner 
should  they  say  a  word. 

He  now  returned  to  his  men,  and  I  heard  the  chinking 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.  331 

souud  of  their  counting  money,  which  I  suppose  was  the 
sum  he  was  to  receive,  which  I  heard  mentioned  the  day 
before.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  Manzo  asked  me  if  I 
should  like  to  go ;  so  I  threw  away  all  the  warm  clothing 
I  had  been  carrying  about  with  me  so  long,  tied  up  in  a 
handkerchief,  and  which  had  served  me  as  a  pillow  at  night 
since  the  19th  of  June.  In  answer  to  my  inquiries,  Manzo 
informed  me  that  he  was  well  satisfied  with  the  amount  we 
had  paid  him.  My  macintosh  coat  I  put  in  my  pocket,  and, 
refusing  the  proffered  kisses,  shook  hands  all  around  with 
them,  they  parting  with  me  in  the  most  friendly  way  possi- 
ble. Generoso  added  another  to  my  stock  of  rings,  making 
the  number  five.  I  recommended  Manzo,  for  the  future, 
not  to  take  foreignei's,  but  to  confine  his  attention  to  his 
own  countrymen,  which  would  prove  far  better  for  him ; 
for,  when  a  foreigner  was  taken,  it  was  in  all  the  papers  in 
the  world,  and  it  compelled  the  government  to  send  so 
many  soldiers  that  the  brigands  had  very  little  chance  of 
escaping  capture. 

I  now  stepped  forward,  accompanied  by  Tedesco  and  the 
mother  of  Manzo,  all  the  brigands  wishing  me  a  pleasant 
journey,  waving  their  arms  to  me  while  in  sight.  They 
were  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  wood,  and  I  walked  on  a  free 
man,  having  been  a  captive  in  their  hands  102  days,  all 
which  time  I  never  entered  any  description  of  house,  sleep- 
ing always  in  the  open  air  on  the  hard  ground ! 

It  was  one  of  those  fearfully  hot  days,  when,  in  a  south- 
ern clime,  every  thing  looks  copper-colored,  and  when  the 
slightest  motion  requires  great  exertion ;  but  we  had  a  long 
journey  befoi*e  us,  and  it  was  desirable  to  get  to  Giffoni  be- 
fore dark,  so  on  we  went  in  the  broiling  sun.  I  felt  this 
very  much,  for  when  I  was  with  the  band  I  had  never 
walked  once  in  the  sun.     "Walking  in  the  daytime  was  only 


332         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

attempted  when  in  a  dense  forest,  where  it  was  impossible 
for  the  rays  of  the  sun  to  penetrate.  Up  hill  and  down 
dale  we  walked ;  it  seemed  so  curious  to  be  able  to  walk 
in  so  open  a  manner,  and  from  habit  I  kept  looking  round 
to  see  if  any  one  were  watching  our  motions.  Tedesco 
gave  me  a  piece  of  chocolate,  which  my  late  brother  cap- 
tive, Visconti,  had  kindly  sent  to  me.  He  had  often  done 
so  before,  but  the  brigands  had  always  eaten  it,  and  never 
told  me  any  thing  about  it.  Shirts,  too,  were  sent  up  two 
or  three  times ;  but  these,  in  the  same  way,  had  never 
reached  me,  but  were  worn  by  the  lucky  men  who  fell  in 
with  the  guides. 

I  was  in  a  desperate  plight  as  regards  dress ;  and,  though 
I  cared  little  about  my  appearance  when  in  the  woods,  I 
did  not  quite  like  showing  myself  at  Giffoni.  I  had,  how- 
ever, to  put  on  a  good  face,  and  make  the  best  of  it.  My 
trowsers  were  all  in  tatters  from  catching  in  the  brambles 
and  bushes,  and  hanging  in  ribbons  at  the  feet.  My  coat 
was  covered  with  the  fat  and  grease  of  the  meat  that  I  had 
had  to  carry  in  the  pocket,  and  all  the  lining  of  the  skirts 
was  torn  to  shreds,  while  constantly  sleeping  and  lying  on 
the  dirty  ground  had  quite  changed  the  original  color  and 
pattern  of  the  cloth.  My  wide-awake  was  dirty  and  torn. 
My  shirt  I  had  worn  day  and  night  since  the  19th  of  June; 
and  my  boots  were  all  broken,  and  many  of  the  seams  un- 
stitched. I  am  quite  certain  that  none  of  my  friends  would 
have  been  able  to  recognize  me ;  but  I  cheered  myself  with 
the  news  that  a  large  warm  bath  would  be  ready  for  me  on 
my  appearance  at  Signor  Visconti's  house,  where  my  friends 
had  sent  every  thing  that  I  might  require  in  the  shape  of 
dress. 

It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  describe  the  state  of  my  body. 
I  was  covered  with  sores  from  the  effect  of  the  vermin, 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.  333 

through  the  brigands  having  steadily  refused  to  allow  me 
to  remove  my  clothing  for  washing  purposes,  and  never  al- 
lowing me  to  stop  at  a  stream  for  fear  of  the  troops  coming 
upon  us  before  I  could  rearrange  my  dress. 

In  two  hours  we  came  to  the  river  running  under  the 
hill,  where  I  had  spent  the  last  fortnight.  I  pointed  it  out 
to  Fortunato.  Here  we  sat  down  to  rest  in  the  shade,  for 
the  old  woman  complained  dreadfully  of  fatigue,  and  had 
been  lagging  behind  all  the  way.  While  we  were  sitting 
here  two  peasants  came  up  to  us,  and  had  a  chat  with  us 
according  to  their  usual  custom,  to  hear  all  the  news.  I 
was  regarded  by  them  with  the  greatest  interest,  for  every 
one  had  heard  of  the  Inglese  that  had  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  brigands,  and  they  were  full  of  commiseration  for  me, 
and  opened  their  eyes  very  wide  when  they  heard  the  enor- 
mous sum  that  had  been  paid,  it  being  the  largest  sum  ever 
paid  in  this  way.  Manzo's  mother  made  me  show  them  the 
five  rings  that  had  been  given  to  me,  which  she  evidently 
considered  reflected  great  dignity  on  her  as  the  mother  of 
one  who  had  shown  such  princely  generosity !  It  had 
grieved  her  to  the  heart  when,  in  starting,  I  had  taken  them 
all  off  my  fingers,  because  the  swelling  of  the  hands  while 
walking  made  them  feel  so  uncomfortable,  besides  the  ridic- 
ulous appearance  they  presented  when  worn  by  me  attired 
as  I  then  was.  These  two  men  knew  all  the  band  by 
name,  and  discussed  the  generosity  of  the  brigands,  who 
had  given  me,  in  their  eyes,  such  magnificent  gifts !  They 
were  not  behindhand  in  their  hospitable  offers,  wishing  to 
kill  a  lamb  for  me  from  a  flock  they  were  tending  on  the 
other  side  of  the  stream.  They  wanted  to  light  a  fire  and 
cook  it  on  the  spot,  saying  that  they  knew  I  had  been  half 
starved.  I  thanked  them  for  their  kind  offers,  which  I  de- 
clined ;  but  I  asked  them  to  pick  me  some  grapes  and  some 


334  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

splendid  plums  that  were  hanging  quite  ripe  in  the  orchard 
near  which  we  were.  They  brought  a  donkey,  that  I  might 
cross  the  river  on  its  back,  and  thus  avoid  wetting  my 
feet!  and  we  all  passed  one  by  one  in  this  manner.  On 
starting  again,  they  wished  me  a  safe  journey  to  England, 
and,  shaking  hands  with  them,  I  thanked  them  for  their 
kindness  to  me,  and  then  we  commenced  to  climb  a  steep 
hill,  at  the  top  of  which  was  the  mule-road  on  which,  while 
with  the  brigands,  I  had  seen  the  soldiers  marching  along. 

This  was  the  road  from  Acerno  to  Giffoni,  as  I  had  given 
my  opinion  to  the  brigands,  who  denied  so  strenuously  that 
I  was  convinced  I  was  right.  The  heat  was  now  greater 
than  ever,  being  reflected  from  the  white  crumbling  lime- 
stone which  is  common  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

A  little  farther  on  we  came  to  a  large  cross,  which  had 
been  erected  on  the  spot  where  a  peasant  had  committed 
a  murder,  after  which  he  became  a  member  of  Manzo's 
band,  but  Fortunato  did  not  tell  me  which  one  it  was ;  on 
the  cross  was  a  small  inscription,  stating  the  name  of  the 
victim  and  the  date  of  his  death.  We  saw  other  crosses  on 
our  way,  and  at  one  glen,  which  looked  as  dark  as  the  deed 
committed  there,  I  was  told  that  Carmine  Amendolo  had 
waited  concealed,  and  in  cold  blood  had  shot  a  man  who 
had  crossed  him  in  love.*  I  had  noticed  on  several  of  the 
brigands'  guns  little  crosses  they  had  cut  on  them,  which 
were  in  their  idea  expiatory  of  the  murders  committed  with 

*  Mr.  Hilton,  in  his  valuable  work  on  "Brigandage  in  South  Italy, " 
vol.  i.,  p.  243,  244,  mentions  a  story  told  by  Marc"  Monnier  which  strong- 
ly illustrates  this  cnstom.  A  guide  to  whom  a  traveler  intrusted  himself 
in  ascending  the  Mattese  confessed  that  on  various  portions  of  the  mount- 
ain ridges  he  had  erected  twenty-nine  of  these  crosses!  The  morality  and 
religion  of  such  a  being  indeed  belong  (as  Mr.  Hilton  says)  to  the  darkest 
times. 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.         335 

the  weapons  so  marked ;  and  thus  the  guns  or  knives  are 
reverenced  according  to  the  number  of  lives  taken  by  them. 
This  was  one  of  the  causes  why  Generoso  was  so  loth  to 
part  with  the  knife  he  gave  to  me. 

On  our  way  we  met  several  parties  of  peasants,  who  all 
stopped  to  talk  with  us.  One  man  we  spoke  to  was  intro- 
duced to  me  as  the  first  ricattato  of  the  band.  He  was  a 
poor  man,  and  his  family  had  to  pay  100  ducats  for  his  re- 
lease. I  told  him  he  was  the  first  and  I  the  last,  but  he  had 
been  more  fortunate,  for  30,000  ducats  was  the  price  set 
upon  my  head.  At  about  half  past  five  o'clock  we  descend- 
ed a  terrible  path  in  a  kind  of  shelf  on  the  side  of  the  pre- 
cipitous mountain  called  St.  Salvador,  in  whose  sides  are 
three  caves  supposed  to  have  been  inhabited  by  the  saints 
in  days  gone  by. 

Many  a  time  had  I  seen  the  rosy  glow  of  the  setting  sun 
on  the  summit  of  this  mountain  during  the  month  of  June, 
when  I  had  been  hidden  in  the  neighborhood  of  Gifibni. 

This  place,  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much,  and  which  took 
such  a  great  part  (through  the  services  of  the  Visconti  fam- 
ily) in  procuring  my  liberation,  now  burst  into  view.  It 
appeared  to  consist  of  a  long,  rambling  series  of  dwellings, 
the  whole  valley  being  dotted  with  little  houses,  composing- 
two  or  three  distinct  villages,  each  of  which  had  its  church. 
The  wide,  but  now  nearly  dry  bed  of  the  river  ran  right 
through  the  place,  and  on  a  conical  hill  was  situated  an  old 
Norman  castle.  The  position  of  Signor  Visconti's  mansion 
was  pointed  out  to  me,  and  it  was  a  treat  to  see  Fortunato's 
look  of  pride  when  he  told  me  that  we  were  now  on  his 
master's  land,  which  was  of  great  extent  on  both  sides  of 
the  valley.  I  now  could  recognize  the  place  where  I  had 
been  from  the  8th  to  the  19th  of  June,  and  found  that  it 
was  not  three  miles  from  Gifibni. 


336  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brig  a  >  ids. 

"When  we  crossed  the  river  and  entered  one  of  the  vil- 
lages (which  was  composed  of  the  houses  inhabited  by  the 
peasants  attached  to  the  proprietor,  who  owns  the  land 
around,  for  there  are  many  remains  of  the  feudal  system 
here),  our  little  party  was  mobbed  by  all  the  inhabitants, 
who  poured  out  to  see  the  foreigner,  their  bete  noir,  the  in- 
nocent cause  of  so  many  of  the  villages  being  depopulated. 
I  was  informed  that  in  the  provinces  of  Salerno  and  Avel- 
lino  no  less  than  1500  of  the  peasants  had  been  arrested  and 
imprisoned  for  complicity  with  the  brigands  while  I  was  in 
their  hands.  I  was  in  the  most  uncomfortable  state  of  mind 
lest  any  of  the  relatives  should  revenge  themselves  on  my 
person  by  making  ready  use  of  their  knives  and  stilettos. 
Many  of  the  young  girls  were  very  good-looking,  and  as  we 
passed  the  water  where  they  were  engaged  in  washing, 
they  all  paused  in  their  occupation  to  have  a  good  look  at 
the  bearded  foreigner,  who,  in  return,  was  gratified  with  a 
sight  to  which  he  had  been  long  a  stranger. 

Here  I  was  met  by  a  sergeant  of  the  Carabineers  and  two 
of  his  men  off  duty,  who  ordered  me,  in  the  roughest  way 
possible,  to  go  to  the  other  end  of  the  village,  half  a  mile 
out  of  my  road,  to  the  head-quarters  of  their  corps,  that  I 
might  be  examined  by  the  captain ;  but,  as  they  admitted 
they  had  no  orders  about  me,  and  I  was  very  tired,  and  anx- 
ious to  wash  off  the  dirt  of  three  and  a  half  months,  and  to 
change  my  clothes,  I  refused  to  go.  The  sergeant  was  most 
impertinent  in  his  manner,  and  so  I  told  him  that,  if  I  was 
wanted,  I  should  be  found  at  Signor  Visconti's  house,  and 
walked  on.  I  was  soon  overtaken  by  a  boy,  sent  after  me 
to  say  that  if  I  waited  a  minute  the  captain  would  join  me, 
which  he  very  soon  did,  accompanied  by  the  syndic  of  the 
place.  These  gentlemen  most  kindly  congratulated  me  on 
my  escape,  and  asked  me  what  information  I  could  give  them 


Diary  of  Mr.  Moens,  August  24  to  26.         337 

about  the  brigands.  I  told  theni  I  could  tell  them  nothing 
that  would  prove  of  the  slightest  use,  for  I  at  that  time  did 
not  know  the  names  of  any  places  which  I  had  been  taken 
to  except  Acerno.  I  told  them  I  had  been  released  near 
that  place,  and  that  the  band  had  gone  to  the  eastward. 

As  we  walked  on  all  the  gentry  of  the  place  came  and 
welcomed  me  most  warmly,  and  I  noticed  that  most  of  them 
carried  guns  as  a  protection  against  the  brigands.  When 
we  reached  the  road  leading  up  to  Signor  Visconti's  man- 
sion, a  carriage  drove  up,  and  here  I  met  Mr.  Richard 
Holme,  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Cumming,  Wood,  and  Co.,  of 
Naples,  who  had  these  many  weeks  been  working  most  inde- 
fatigably  to  procure  my  release,  frequently  undergoing  the 
greatest  possible  risk  on  behalf  of  me  and  Mr.  Aynsley.  It 
was  with  the  greatest  diificulty  that  I  could  at  first  thank 
him  in  English,  having  to  supply  many  words  in  Italian,  and 
the  excitement  of  the  meeting  being  almost  too  much  for 
me.  Signor  Michele  di  Majo,  who  also  had  done  so  much 
for  us,  was  with  him,  and  they  both  seemed  as  happy  as 
possible  to  see  their  exertions  crowned  with  success. 

We  now  drove  through  Signor  Visconti's  property  to 
his  house,  where  I  was  received  with  a  perfect  ovation,  all 
the  members  of  the  family  and  t^e  villagers  having  assem- 
bled in  the  court-yard  to  receive  me  as  I  descended  from 
the  carriage.  Don  Elia,  the  head  of  the  house,  stepped  for- 
ward and  saluted  me,  as  did  also  my  fellow-captives,  Don 
Francesco  and  little  Tomasino.  Nothing  could  exceed  the 
warmth  of  their  reception  of  me,  and  the  kindness  I  expe- 
rienced in  their  hospitable  house  —  warm  baths,  a  barber, 
and  every  thing  I  could  desire  were  prepared  for  me ;  at 
ten  o'clock  a  magnificent  supper  was  ready,  and  at  eleven 
Mr.  Holme  returned  to  Salerno  with  a  letter  from  me  to 
my  wife,  telling  her  of  my  safety,  and  that  the  authorities 

P 


338          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

had  requested  me  not  to  return  to  Salerno  till  the  next  day, 
as  they  wished  to  ask  me  some  questions  officially. 

I  got  little  sleep  that  night,  though  I  enjoyed  the  luxury 
of  a  bed ;  and,  rising  early,  I  was  ready  to  receive  my  wife, 
who,  with  Mr.  Holme,  drove  from  Salerno,  arriving  at  Gif- 
foni  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

The  pleasure  of  this  meeting  I  shall  not  attempt  to  de- 
scribe. In  the  afternoon  we  returned  together  to  Salerno 
with  grateful  hearts,  escorted  by  cavalry  sent  specially  for 
the  purpose  by  General  Balegno.    , 


Reflections  on  Brigandage :  Southern  Italy.      339 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Reflections  on  Brigandage:  Southern  Italy. 

The  Ransom  all  paid  to  the  Band. — No  other  Persons  participate  directly. 
— The  exorbitant  Prices  charged  for  Food. — The  Peasants  the  real 
Gainers. — Manutengoli. — The  real  Causes  of  the  Success  of  Brigand- 
age.— The  Roots  to  be  eradicated. — Measures  proposed. 

In  describing  the  distribution  of  a  portion  of  the  ransom 
in  a  former  chapter,  I  was  purposely  precise,  because  at- 
tempts have  been  made  in  certain  quarters  to  suggest  that 
some  of  the  money  was  kept  back  en  route,  as  a  sort  of 
commission  from  the  brigands;  but  on  every  occasion  on 
which  money  was  sent  up  by  our  friends,  I  knew  what  each 
man  had  given  him,  having  actually  seen  it  counted  out. 
It  may  also  thus  be  proved  that  none  of  the  ransom  money 
paid  to  Manzo's  band  went  to  Rome,  or  elsewhere  in  the 
province  of  Salerno ;  for  when  money  is  once  divided  among 
the  men,  it  is  perfectly  out  of  the  control  of  their  captain, 
unless  for  the  actual  expenses  of  food,  when  all  the  money 
kept  back  by  him  for  this  purpose  is  expended  ;  and  then  a 
"  whip"  is  made,  according  to  the  necessity  of  the  case,  all 
having  to  contribute  equally.  Should  any  one  be  without 
money  at  the  time,  he  is  debited  in  the  captain's  accounts, 
and  the  amount  deducted  from  the  next  ransom  money. 

I  do  not  believe  that  any  articles  of  food  are  supplied  by 
manutengoli  gratis  to  the  brigands ;  on  the  other  hand,  the 
brigands  pay  for  all  they  get  at  most  exorbitant  prices ;  and 


340          English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

the  way  in  which  the  Napoleons  go  for  bread,  sheep, 
cheese,  bacon,  etc.,  is  truly  surprising.  I  often  inspected 
the  captain's  accounts,  and  saw  clearly  from  them  and  the 
price  paid  for  every  thing  that  five  sixths  of  the  money  re- 
ceived in  shape  of  ransoms  by  the  brigands  go  to  the  peas- 
ants, who  are  thus  the  persons  actually  benefited  by  brig- 
andage !  All  the  time  I  was  in  their  hands  I  used  to  in- 
quire the  prices  of  various  articles  of  food  in  the  towns, 
and  got  a  very  accurate  idea  of  what  the  brigands  paid  for 
them ;  a  pezzo,  their  term  for  ducat,  equal  to  three  shillings 
and  fourpence,  was  the  peasant's  ordinary  price  for  a  loaf 
weighing  two  rotoli  (equal  to  about  three  and  a  half  pounds 
English)  ;  this  c6st  from  threepence  to  sixpence  in  the 
towns,  according  to  whether  it  was  made  of  rye,  maize,  or 
wheat,  but  this  made  no  difference  in  the  price  paid  by  the 
brigands.  A  coarse  cotton  shirt  cost  them  two  and  a  half 
ducats,  or  eight  shillings  and  fourpence,  and  washing  one, 
a  ducat,  or  three  shillings  and  fourpence;  each  cartridge 
for  a  revolver  cost  the  same,  and  every  thing  else  in  pro- 
portion. 

From  a  calculation  I  made  when  with  them,  I  do  not 
think  that  a  band  consisting  of  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
men  would  spend  less  than  £4000  a  year  for  absolute  neces- 
saries, and  the  rest  of  their  spoils  would  be  lent  out  among 
their  friends  in  the  country  at  ten  per  cent,  interest.  I 
recommended  them  to  buy  Italian  five  per  cent,  stock,  as 
being  safer  than  lending  money  on  personal  security !  But 
they  said  they  never  lost  any,  and  they  feared  the  stock  be- 
ing confiscated  by  the  government ! 

When  they  have  got  a  good  sum  together  by  gambling 
(the  ransom  money  soon  gets  into  three  or  four  hands  in 
this  way),  and  conveyed  it  to  their  friends,  they  give  them- 
selves up  to  the  authorities,  and  in  prison  enjoy  themselves 


Reflections  on  Brigandage :  Southern  Italy.       341 

on  the  extra  supply  of  food  paid  for  out  of  their  saviDgs. 
They  told  me  that  when  they  buy  food  for  themselves  in 
prison,  a  profit  of  100  per  cent,  is  added  to  the  cost  of  it  by 
the  persons  licensed  by  the  governor  of  the  prison  for  this 
purpose.  While  I  was  with  Manzo's  band  I  did  not  see 
any  traces  of  manutengolism.  Food  never  came  up  in  great 
quantities;  what  clothing  the  men  required  they  bought 
for  themselves  from  the  peasants  who  brought  the  bread. 
I  heard  that  thirty  hats  and  a  quantity  of  shirts  were  com- 
ing up,  but  I  believe  that  the  hats  were  lost  by  the  surren- 
der of  the  brigands  who  were  sent  for  them.  I  never  saw 
any  thing  of  the  shirts.  All  the  money  was  divided  among 
the  band,  both  in  our  case  and  in  that  of  the  two  Viscontis; 
although  the  mamitengoli  are  generally  supposed  to  share 
in  the  plunder,  I  do  not  believe  this  was  done  in  the  case 
of  Manzo's  band.  It  may  be  that  the  vigilance  and  extra 
measures  taken  by  the  Italian  government  while  I  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  bi'igands  caused  the  rich  proprietors  and 
priests  who  favored  their  cause  to  be  very  cautious  in  their 
dealings  with  these  outlaws.  Through  Giardullo's  revela- 
tions several  have  been  convicted,  but  my  impression  is  that 
the  brigands  gain  their  knowledge  of  the  movements  of 
galantuomini,  as  they  call  rich  men  living  in  the  country, 
and  of  the  troops,  from  the  peasants  and  vetttirini,  who  can 
give  them  all  the  information  and  aid  they  require  to  carry 
on  a  successful  career ;  and  it  is  against  these  classes  that 
the  Italian  government  must  direct  their  efforts,  if  they  in- 
tend to  put  down  brigandage. 

In  the  way  it  is  now  carried  on,  the  proprietors  dare  not 
show  their  faces  out  of  their  houses,  for  they  are  carried 
off  from  the  very  villages  should  they  venture  to  go  a  step 
from  their  own  doors.  All  their  lands  are  left  to  be  culti- 
vated by  their  laborers  at  their  discretion,  without  ever  be- 


342  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

ing  visited  by  the  owners;  and  subject  to  the  rapacity  of 
these  peasants,  the  master  gets  a  certain  proportion  of  his 
own  produce,  the  peasants  bringing  home  just  what  pleases 
them,  and  no  more.  It  is  the  same  with  the  shepherds, 
who  are  months  together  in  the  mountains  with  their 
sheep,  and  between  the  shepherds  and  the  brigands  I  sus- 
pect the  poor  owner  of  the  sheep  has  a  hard  time  of  it. 

I  may  perhaps  be  allowed  to  say,  on  the  subject  of  Italian 
brigandage  generally,  that  I  consider  that  it  can  not  be  sup- 
pressed as  long  as  the  interests  of  the  country  people  are 
concerned  in  its  maintenance  (as  they  are  at  present  by  the 
high  prices  given  them  by  the  brigands  for  food  and  assist- 
ance), or  while  their  fears  of  the  vendetta  forbid  them  tak- 
ing any  attitude  hostile  to  the  brigands.  The  readers  of 
Count  Maffei's  book  will  understand  the  terrible  position 
of  the  unfortunate  peasantry  who  are  suspected  of  having 
given,  or  of  being  likely  to  give,  the  authorities  any  inform- 
ation as  to  the  brigands'  movements.* 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  to  rescue  these  poor  people 
from  the  thraldom  in  which  they  now  live  is  to  open  up  the 
country  by  roads,  and  the  next  is  to  levy  the  sum  paid  as 
ransom  for  any  captive  by  a  rate  on  the  district  haunted  by 
the  band. 

If,  in  addition  to  this,  a  court-martial  were  held  on  the 
spot  on  any  one  found  with  more  bread  on  his  person  than 
a  specified  amount,  say  sufficient  for  his  midday  meal,  and 
if,  after  a  speedy  trial,  any  one  thus  proved  to  have  any 
dealings  whatsoever  with  the  brigands  were  hanged,  ex- 
cepting always  any  persons  icho  tnay  be  rescuing  one  of 
their  family  from  the  brigands'  hands,  it  would  cause  a 

*  The  career  of  Caruso,  as  described  in  General  Pallavicini's  letter 
CMaffei,  vol.  ii.,  p.  227),  affords  a  striking  instance  of  the  enormitiesfcom- 
mitted  on  these  poor  unprotected  creatures. 


Reflections  on  Brigandage :  Southern  Italy.       343 

state  of  fear  among  the  peasants  at  least  as  great  as  that 
now  excited  by  the  brigands,  and  the  peasants  would  soon 
betray  the  causes  of  this  scourge  of  Southern  Italy  into  the 
hands  of  the  troops,  to  be  dealt  with  in  a  different  manner 
from  that  in  which  they  are  at  present.  What  punishment 
is  it  to  a  brigand,  formerly  an  idle,  good-for-nothing  peasant, 
who  has,  by  murder  or  homicide,  forfeited  all  claims  to  earn- 
ing an  honest  livelihood,  to  be  confined  in  prison,  and  allow- 
ed to  buy  any  quantity  of  food  and  tobacco  with  the  earn- 
ings of  brigandage  ?  What  do  these  men  glory  in  more 
than  idleness  and  plenty  to  eat  ?  It  is  no  punishment,  but 
simply  retiring  from  business,  to  spend  a  few  years  in  the 
way  that  suits  them  best.  I  often  heard  the  subject  dis- 
cussed, and  this  was  the  way  they  always  spoke  of  it. 

Severe  diseases  require  sharp  remedies;  and  no  wonder 
that  there  is  such  a  dissatisfied  feeling  against  the  rapidly 
increasing  taxation,  while  brigandage,  which  has  increased 
in  a  similar  ratio  since  the  fall  of  the  Bourbons,  has  had  the 
effect  of  decreasing  the  produce  of  the  land  brought  to  the 
store-house  of  the  proprietors.  Were  a  local  force  of  armed 
police  established,  like  the  constabulary  in  Ireland,  who 
would  have  a  knowledge  of  all  those  aiding  the  brigands 
and  could  watch  their  movements,  it  would  be  of  far  great- 
er utility  than  the  thousands  of  Piedmontese  troops  who 
are  sent  to  a  province  where  they  are  perfect  strangers,  and 
viewed  with  suspicion  and  dislike  by  all,  both  proprietors 
and  peasants,  on  account  of  the  ill  feeling  that  exists  be- 
tween the  inhabitants  of  Northern  and  Southern  Italy. 

The  military  force  would  be  most  useful  in  following  up 
the  discoveries  and  measures  of  the  local  police,  who  would 
at  once  know  of  the  arrival  of  the  brigands  in  any  part  of 
the  country.  These  police  would  know  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  villages  and  the  surrounding  country,  and  if  any  of 


344         English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

them  were  absent  at  night  they  could  be  made  to  account 
for  being  abroad.  This  would  speedily  prevent  all  carry- 
ing of  food  during  the  night.  In  fact,  a  Curfew  Act,  such 
as  that  which  existed  not  so  very  long  ago  in  Ireland,  would 
soon  produce  the  desired  effect. 

I  can  not  do  better  than  quote  a  passage  from  Murray's 
"  Guide  to  Sicily :"  "  Whatever  the  faults  of  the  Bourbon 
government,  it  had  at  least  this  merit,  that  it  kept  the  roads 
throughout  its  dominions  as  secure  for  the  traveler  as  those 
of  Northern  Europe.  On  the  main  land,  this  was  insured 
by  throwing  the  responsibility  of  keeping  the  roads  safe  on 
the  several  commune  or  towns.  In  Sicily  it  was  effected 
by  the  system  of  rural  police,  called  companies  at  arms. 
That  Sicily  is  not  so  secure  now  as  it  was  under  the  former 
regime  is  not  owing  to  the  same  causes  as  disturb  the  Con- 
tinental portion  of  the  old  kingdom.  Brigandage  is  not 
carried  on  there  under  the  mask  of  political  disaffection. 
There  are  no  bands  of  reactionists  in  Sicily  in  arms  against 
Victor  Emmanuel.  Those  who  have  taken  to  the  road  are 
of  that  class  which  is  ever  looking  out  for  opportunities  of 
robbery  and  violence,  which  has  found  them  in  the  unsettled 
state  of  the  island  since  the  expulsion  of  the  Bourbons. 
When  we  bear  in  mind  the  complete  subversion  of  the  old 
political  system,  under  which  every  thing  was  done  with 
the  strong  hand,  and  the  police  claimed  the  monopoly  of 
committing  outrages  against  persons  and  property,  and  the 
sudden  transition  from  the  most  abject  political  slavery  to 
constitutional  liberty,  the  almost  entire  change,  not  only  of 
measures  but  of  men,  that  has  since  been  introduced,  it  will 
hardly  be  matter  of  surprise  that  the  police  machinery  has 
not  yet  been  got  into  such  thorough  working  order  as  un- 
der the  Bourbons. 

"This  body  of  rural  police  was  established  in  1812,  dur- 


Reflections  on  Brigandage:  Southern  Italy.       345 

ing  the  occupation  of  the  island  by  the  English ;  for  at  that 
time,  as  for  ages  previous,  the  island  was  so  overrun  by 
bandits  that  stringent  measures  for  their  suppression  were 
imperatively  demanded.  To  each  of  the  24  districts  of  Sic- 
ily a  squadron  of  horse  was  assigned,  by  the  name  of  a  com- 
pany at  arms,  under  the  command  of  a  captain  appointed 
by  the  government,  but  who  selected  his  own  men.  This 
system  of  police  was  abolished  after  the  disturbances  of 
1837,  and  replaced  by  Neapolitan  gensdarmes,  who  were 
driven  out  with  the  troops  in  the  revolution  of  1848;  and 
the  compagni,  being  restored,  were  confirmed  in  1849,  on 
the  re-establishment  of  the  royal  authority.  The  captains 
receive  32  tari;  the  lieutenants,  10  tari;  a  private,  8  tari, 
paid  monthly.  A  tari  is  fourpence.  One  quarter  of  this 
sum  is  kept  back  till  the  end  of  the  year,  in  order  to  meet 
all  contingent  demands,  for  both  officers  and  men  are  held 
responsible  for  all  highway  robberies  committed  within 
their  respective  districts  between  sunrise  and  sunset;  and 
the  captains  have  farther  to  give  security  of  2000  onze, 
equal  to  £1000,  to  the  government  on  the  same  account. 
Out  of  their  slender  pay  the  men  have  to  purchase  and  keep 
a  horse,  and  find  their  uniform ;  but  the  government  pro- 
vides them  with  carbine,  sword,  and  pistols.  By  living  in 
the  country  towns  and  villages  they  learn  all  the  bad  char- 
acters ;  and,  if  a  robbery  be  committed,  they  know  where 
to  look  for  the  property.  It  is  a  singular  system  of  police, 
peculiar  to  Sicily,  which,  by  the  identity  of  interests  secured 
by  the  common  responsibility,  has  in  ordinary  times  secured 
the  safety  of  the  roads." 

United  Italy  is  not  in  half  the  bad  state  that  is  general- 
ly imagined  ;  the  taxation  is  only  £l  a  head,  and  the  inter- 
est on  its  debt  is  only  £10,000,000  to  24,000,000  inhabit- 
ants.    The  pay  of  laborers  in  Southern  Italy  is  from  lOd. 

P2 


346  English  Travelers  and  Italian  Brigands. 

to  \bd.  a  day,  and  they  can  live  well  on  id.  as  regards  pro- 
visions. 

But  Italy  is  an  agricultural  country ;  its  wealth  is  in  the 
produce  of  the  land,  and  to  develop  that  wealth  must  the 
government  direct  its  exertions.  Were  the  country  in  a 
state  to  allow  of  the  proprietors  attending  personally  to  the 
improvement  of  their  own  lands,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
yean  the  revenue  would  rise  to  the  legitimate  requirements 
of  the  state ;  but  as  long  as  the  security  of  the  towns  only 
is  looked  to,  and  the  safety  of  the  producing  part  of  the 
kingdom  made  a  secondary  consideration,  Italy  will  be  get- 
ting deeper  in  the  mire,  and  continue  to  have  to  borrow 
money  to  pay  the  interest  of  a  constantly  increasing  debt ; 
and  all  true  lovers  of  the  glorious  land  will  have  long  to 
wait  to  see  what  they  so  much  desire — a  strong,  independ- 
ent, and  flourishing  United  Italy. 


APPENDIX 


A  (page  70). 

Notice  posted  up  in  the  Hotel  Vittoria,  Salerno. 

AVIS  AUX  VOYAGEURS. 
Le  Soussigne  avertit  messieurs  les  voyageurs  et  les  e'trangers  en  par- 
ticulier,  qui,  craignant  les  malvivants,  s'abstiennent  peut-etre  de  visiter 
les  monuments  de  Paestum,  que  la  rue  depuis  Salerne  au  dit  lieu  de 
Paestum  offre  la  plus  grande  surete,  d'autant  plus,  que  maintenant,  grace 
a  la  pre'voyance  de  M.  le  Lieutenant-Gene'ral  Avenati,  commandant  la 
Division  Militaire,  il  s'est  fixe  des  de'tachements  de  troupes  sur  diffe'rents 
points  de  la  rue,  c'est-a-dire,  a  Battipaglia,  Barizzo  et  Paestum.  Quant 
a  la  route  de  Salerne  a  Amalfi,  elle  est  aussi  completement  assuree. 
V.  de  Majo,  Proprie~taire  de  VAuberge  de  la  Vittoria  a  Salerne. 

Translation  posted  up  alongside  the  above. 

NOTICE  TO  TRAVELERS. 

Mr.  V.  de  Majo,  proprietor  of  the  Victoria  Hotel  at  Salerno,  begs  to 
inform  travelers  desirous  of  visiting  the  Temples  of  Paestum  that  the  road 
is  now  perfectly  safe  between  Salerno  and  Paestum,  owing  to  the  vigilance 
of  General  Avenati,  the  Military  Commander  of  the  district,  who  has 
stationed  patrols  along  the  road  at  Battipaglia,  Barizzo,  and  Paestum. 
The  road  from  Salerno  to  Amalfi  is  also  quite  safe. 

V.  de  Majo,  Proprietor  of  the  Victoria  Hotel  at  Salerno. 


B  (page  166). 

The  Dangers  of  Signor  ViscontVs  Position. 

Jane  7.  When  Visconti  was  about  to  leave  the  band,  Manzo  told  him 
that  if  his  father  did  not  consent  to  forward  the  money,  letters,  etc.,  for 
me,  that  they  would  murder  all  his  family,  burn  his  house,  cut  down  all 
the  olive  and  chestnut  trees,  destroy  his  flocks,  and  do  all  the  damage 
they  could.     This  put  Signor  Visconti  in  a  very  awkward  position,  for 


348  Appendix. 

the  penalty  for  being  in  communication  with  the  brigands  is  twenty  years' 
imprisonment,  and  Visconti  therefore  very  wisely  got  the  permission  of 
the  Italian  government,  through  Mr.  Bonham,  before  undertaking  this 
dangerous  office,  which  he  fulfilled  so  faithfully  and  satisfactorily. 


C  (page  208). 

Reply  of  Prefect  to  Inquiry  whether  the  Government  would 
pay  Ransom. 

"  Prefettura  de  Principato  Citeriore,  Salerno,  li  20  Giugno,  1S65. 
"  H  sottoscritto  e  dolente  di  dovere  assicurare  alia  S.  I.  Illma.  che  non 
solo,  non  e  autorizzato  a  dare  la  piu  piccola  somma  per  il  riscatto  dello 
infelice  Inglese,  che  trovasi  in  mano  dei  briganti,  ma  per  dovere  di  carica 
deve  impedire  con  tutti  i  mezzi  che  sono  in  suo  potere,  acciocche  non 
siano  mandati  loro  denari  ed  altri  oggetti. 

"Gradina  i  sentimenti  di  stima  ed  alta  consideratione, 

"Del  Prefetto,  Sigismond. 
"Alia  Signora  Signora  Annie  Moens,  NapolL" 


D  (page  209). 
Translation  of  a  Letter  from  Signor  Yisconti  to  Mrs.  Moens. 

"Honohed  Madame  Moens, — By  last  Sunday's  post  I  received  your 
very  kind  letter,  containing  another  addressed  to  your  unfortunate  hus- 
band. I  have  not  yet  forwarded  it  to  its  destination,  as  I  have  not  been 
able  to  obtain  intelligence  of  the  spot  where  the  band  is  actually  to  be 
found ;  but  on  the  first  opportunity  I  will  not  fail  to  have  it  conveyed  to 
Mr.  Moens,  together  with  another  letter  left  here  for  him  by  your  friend 
Mr.  Holme. 

"You  have  overwhelmed  me  with  so  many  kind  expressions  of  gratitude 
and  acknowledgment,  that  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  that  I  do  not  deserve 
them  in  the  least.  I  have  done  nothing  for  you  but  write  a  letter  to  the 
brigand  chief,  with  the  view  of  impressing  on  him  the  idea  which  I  had 
formed  of  your  social  position,  hoping  to  move  him  from  the  enormous 
amount  of  ransom  for  which  he  holds  out.  But  God  has  not  given  me  this 
consolation,  for  the  brigands  consider  that  I  am  a  simple  man,  easily  to  be 
deceived  ;  they  might,  indeed,  have  suspected  worse  of  me ;  and  their  not 
having  entertained  any  worse  supposition  I  attribute  to  the  mercy  of  God, 
who  has  so  remarkably  protected  my  family  in  restoring  to  me  my  eldest 
son  quite  uninjured,  and  even  in  better  health  than  when  he  was  cap- 
tured. I  trust  the  Lord  will  soon  grant  you  the  like  mercies,  and  also 
another  favor  now  even  more  needful — namely,  that  you  may  be  able  to 
support  with  patience  and  resignation  the  anguish  and  mental  suffering 
which  oppress  you,  the  weight  of  which  I  can  fully  estimate,  and  in  which 


Appendix.  349 

I  heartily  sympathize  with  you.  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  render  you 
any  other  services,  my  dear  madam,  than  those  of  receiving  letters  and 
money,  and  transmitting  them  faithfully  to  their  destination  ;  and  these 
services  I  am  resolved  to  continue  to  perform  for  you,  although  they  may 
— as  I  greatly  fear — compromise  me  with  the  government.  No  thanks 
or  acknowledgment  are  due  to  me  from  you  for  this,  for  I  seek  to  do  no 
more  than  to  fulfill  the  duty  of  a  Christian  toward  a  family  suffering  (as 
my  own  family  has  suffered)  under  misfortunes,  and  especially  toward  an 
individual  who  has  shared  with  my  son  dangers  and  every  kind  of  suffer- 
ing incident  to  a  wild  life  among  men  hereft  of  all  the  feelings  of  human- 
ity— an  individual,  too,  whom  I  greatly  respect  and  esteem,  though  I  have 
not  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 

"I  have  one  request  to  make  of  you,  namely,  that  you  will  recom- 
mend me  to  the  consul,  in  whose  honorable  character  and  powerful  pro- 
tection I  have  the  greatest  confidence ;  for  the  little  that  I  do,  I  do  with- 
out the  formal  written  authority  of  the  local  officials  here,  having  been 
obliged  to  content  myself  hitherto  with  their  simple  oral  permission. 

1 '  Madam,  do  not  abandon  yourself  to  an  excess  of  grief.  God  will 
console  you  when  you  least  expect  it — be  it  by  softening  the  hearts  of 
those  savage  and  unreasoning  beings,  or  by  using  some  of  those  means 
of  controlling  human  affairs  which  are  in  the  power  of  Him  alone.  Trust 
in  God  with  that  same  confidence  which  my  son  assures  me  your  worthy 
husband  hasoiever  ceased  to  display  during  all  his  misfortunes. 

"  Believe  me  your  devoted  servant,  Elia  Visconti." 


E  (page  231). 

Translation  of  a  Letter  to  Signor  Visconti  from  Manzo. 

"Sig.  D.  Elia  Visconti, — lean  do  nothing  more,  because  my  band 
require  absolutely  50,000  ducats,  otherwise  they  wish  to  take  his  life ; 
therefore  then,  with  many  tears  of  my  mother,  and  many  prayers  of  my 
mother  and  Fortunato  Tedesco,  they  had  compassion ;  they  cried  so  much 
that  they  wanted  to  take  him  with  them.  I  interceded  with  my  band, 
because  they  wished  to  take  away  his  life ;  thereupon  they  said  they 
would  have  30,000  ducats,  with  what  I  have  already  received,  without 
deducting  a  centime — 30,000  ducats,  otherwise  we  shall  take  his  life. 

"Capitano  Manzo." 


F  (page  247). 

Were  the  Brigands  connected  with  Francis  II.  ? 

On  the  17th  of  May,  Carmine  Amendolo  showed  me  the  commission 
he  had  received,  signed  by  "Tardio."     This  Giuseppe  Tardio  was  a  na- 


350 


Appi 


tire  of  the  province  of  Salerno,  and  had  been  a  law  student,  but  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  he  went  to  Rome,  and  there  organized  a  band  to  make 
the  vain  attempt  to  restore  Francis  II.  to  the  throne  of  his  fathers  ;  with 
these  he  returned  to  his  province,  and  signed  proclamations  as  "  Captain 
commanding  the  Bourbon  army." 

This  commission  of  Amendolo's  was  written  on  the  back  of  a  carte  de 
visite  of  Francis  II.,  and  officially  stamped  with  the  arms  of  the  house 
of  Bourbon. 

He  also  had  had  another  commission  making  him  sergeant,  and  an- 
other raising  him  to  the  rank  of  adjutant,  in  consideration  of  his  great 
services ;  these  were  written  on  letter-paper,  also  signed  by  Tardio,  and 
stamped  with  the  official  seal  of  the  deposed  monarch.  The  latest  date 
of  these  documents  was  July,  1863.  I  do  not  think  that  any  others  of 
the  band  had  similar  documents,  or  they  would  have  been  certain  to 
have  shown  them  to  me,  as  they  did  any  thing  that  they  had  in  the  shape 
of  writing. 

Amendolo  was  caught  in  August  while  trying  to  hide  himself  in  a 
ditch,  and  dragged  out  by  the  soldiers.  Having  his  gun  with  him  at  the 
time,  he  stands  but  little  chance  of  getting  off  with  his  life. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  asked  by  all  whether  I  was  not  a  relative  of 
Francis  II.,  for  the  band  had  heard  something  of  the  kind  from  the 
peasants.  I  believe  that  some  letters  were  written  to  the  ex-king  at 
Rome  concerning  me,  and  this,  being  talked  about  in  the  towns,  had  soon 
spread  through  the  country. 

It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  persuade  them  that  I 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Bourbon  race. 


G  (page  289). — A  Jtrigand  Song. 

la  Cakzosetta.  m     ♦. 

Allegretto  moderato.  £     •)*".    "p* 


j^^^^^^mm 


Un  gior  -  no  andiedi  in    ca  -  me  -  ra      La    bel  -  la 


&p\ 


va       Un  gior -no  andiedi  in    ca  -  me- 


!lt  j 


ra      La   bel  -  la    none  ci      ste 


va         Se     n'e  -  ra 


Appendix. 


351 


Ircff'JU.UzlF*^ 


anda-ta  a  let 


to     La    bel  -  la  a  ri  -  po  -  sa  -  re 


—0 — * 
Se    n'e  -  ra 


m 


*=t= 


'cF'JU-Fr-gf'jr  u 


anda  -  ta  a  let 


to      La   bel  -  la  a  ri  -  po  -  sa  -  re. 


Io  gli  diedi  la  mano 
La  bella  non  senteva 
Le  diedi  un  bacio  d'  amore 
Oirno !  die  son  tradita. 

Tu  rondinella  cara 
Non  sei  tradita  ancora. 
Io  son  quel  giovinetto 
Che  sempre  a  te  pensava. 

Un  giorno  jetti  pe  mare ; 
Li  spezzano  le  vele 
Questa  nennella  mia 
Sempre  appresso  mi  steva. 

Una  stanza  ordinata ; 
Le  sedie  preparate : 
I  beccamorti  subito 
Preparano  la  bara. 


Se  ne  vene  lu  sargente 
Co  nu  magro  de  fune 
C  attacca  a  dui  a  dui 
A  lu  carcere  ci  porta. 

Quannu  furun  'ntribunale 
Si  scrive  na  sentenza 
O  cielo  che  spartenza 
Che  ne  sara  di  me. 

In  questo  camerone 
Ci  stanno  'nquantitate 
Di  muonici  e  di  prievesti 
Carcerati  'nquantita. 

Vurria  reclamare 
Diletto  pressidente, 
Ora  pietosamente 
Damme  la  liberta. 


2a  Canzonetta. 


Allegr 


t=r 


:^?= 


S 


Quello  ch'  e  no  -  stro    e      vo  -  stro,      Quello  ch'  e  vo  -  stro 


J3— >  "]^N=^=^=:^^j^.^_^-Z^-1_^,-ffEf 
■     .4  .  J   \d     /    /.   4' I  4      d      /    JTj      [^      fr-f 


it  nostro,  Addio  Ma  -  da — nfa — nfa,  ad  -  dio  Mon  -  su — nfu — nfu,  Can-  ta  il 


■ 

0—. 

=*: 

=15= 

->" 

—K~ 

P.     M      ■ 

:=t= 

-f~ 

-nJ 

-  p 

-0— 

4 

-jr 

l— 0— 

, 

-/- 

zk= 

±= 

-?-=p: 

gallo    e      fa  -  ra    cu  -  cu  -  ri 


=*t 


^11 


ri    cu  -  cu  -  ri    -  cu. 

II  pertusillo  e  vostro 
II  demaniale  e  nostro 
Addio  >Inda— nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsii — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fan'i  cucuricii. 


cu,        Can  -  ta  il  gallo    e     fa- 


Noi  belle  donne 
'Npietto  avite  le  zizzarelle 
Addio  Mada — nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsii — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fara  cucuricii. 


352 


Appendix. 


Le  zizzarelle  son  vostre 
II  demaniale  e  DMtXO 
Addio  Mada — nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsu — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fara  cucurici'i. 

La  giardiniello  e  vostro 
II  demaniale  6  nostro 
Addio  Mada — nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsu — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fara  cucurici'i. 


La  boscherfllo  e  vostro 
II  demaniale  e  nostro 
Addio  Mada — nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsu — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fara  cucuricu. 

Quel  ch1  e  nostro  i  vostro 
Quel  ch'  e  vostro  c  nostro 
Addio  Mada — nfa — nfa 
Addio  Monsu — nfu — nfu 
Canta  il  gallo  e  fara  cucuricu. 


H  (page  296). 

The  last  Letter  from  the  Captive  to  his  Wife,  dictated  ver- 
batim by  Manzo. 

"  31  Juglio,  1S65. 
"O  moglia  ingrata,  O  moglia  crudele,  come  mi  avate  abandonato,  con 
quale  coraggio  mi  volete  fare  morire  per  denaro,  uno  povero  uomo  cosi 
abandonato  da  tutte !  O  moglia  ingrata,  come  mi  ai  abandonato,  cosi 
come  io  nonne  vi  so  niente !  Mi  volete  far  morire  per  denaro.  O  mo- 
glia, movetevi  a  compassione  e  pieta  verso  di  me,  povero,  afflitto  e  sven- 
turato !  Che  m'avate  cosi  abandonato  da  tutte,  ho  veduto  la  mia  morte 
con  miei  occhi  a  poco  a  poco,  movetevi  con  compassione,  fatelo  per  cinque 
piaghe  di  Jesu  Christo  nonne  mi  fate  morire  cosi,  a  poco  a  poco.  O 
moglia  carissima  movetevi  a  compassione,  mandate  il  denaro,  portatevi  a 
piedi  al  nostro  consule  Inglese  e  al  nostri  concittadini ;  pregate  che  man- 
dassino  il  denaro  che  se  movessero  a  compassione  di  uno  disgrazziato 
giovane  Inglese,  che  non  mi  facessero  morire  nel  boschi  del  regno  di 
Napoli,  movesse  a  compassione  e  pieta  che  non  mi  abandonassero,  non 
mi  facessero  morire  nel  boschi,  che  le  mia  came  sarebbe  mangiata  dal 
animale  salvatici,  mandate  il  denaro,  avate  pieta  della  mia  came.  Non 
credete  che  mi  riscattate  colle  forze  pubblice  queste  e  la  pin  pcggiore 
cosa  per  mi  chi  vogliono  il  denaro  per  mio  riscatto,  non  mai  la  forza  mi 
riscata,  morto  non  vivo,  chi  vogliono  il  denaro,  non  la  forza  per  mio  ris- 
catto si  voi  non  mandate  il  denaro,  certo  sono  morto ;  e  mandate  presto 
il  denaro,  perche  io  non  posso  soffrire  piu.  O  carissima  moglia,  io  scrivo 
a  voi  nuovo ;  non  posso  soffrire  piu,  sono  tre  parte  morto  con  fame,  tre 
giorni  senza  cibo  e  poi  un  poco  di  came  crude ;  sono  si  debolc  che  e  dif- 
ficile per  me  di  camminare  ;  se  volete  di  rivedermi  e  importante  assai  che 
mandate  il  denaro  subito,  subito  non  in  si  poce  somme,  ma  in  piu  grande. 
Non  tengo  lettere  di  voi  dopo  il  23  Junio ;  sono  molto  lontano ;  il  capi- 
tano  ha  ricevuto  il  denaro,  e  subito  quando  il  denaro  e  pagato  sono  lib- 
erate Non  credava  che  i  nostri  amici  erano  si  crudeli  contro  me,  non 
hanno  una  scintilla  di  pieta  verso  me. 

"  Credetemi  se  il  denaro  non  e  pagato  presto  presto,  e  securo  che  io 
morro  ;  sono  si  debole,  sono  spesso  due  giorni  senza  cibo  e  aqua,  che  fate, 
carissima,  che  lasciatemi  cosi  ?  Mandatemi  due  camice  di  cotone  del 
paese,  e  uno  nuovo  pajo  di  calzone  forte,  e  due  pajo  forte  di  calzetta  di 


Appendix.  353 

lanata  oscura.  Se  non  potete  mandare  il  denaro,  sono  pieno  di  pidocchi 
e  sono  coperto  di  piage.  Addio,  addio,  carissima  mia,  ho  lasciato  ogni 
speranza  di  rivederti.     Vostro  sempre  amante  e  affezionato  mafito, 

"W.J.  CM." 

On  the  back  teas  written  in  English. 
"Trust  in  God  only  keeps  me  alive.     I  have  told  them  to  send  you 
my  books  if  I  die.     Adieu,  dearest  A." 


-      I  (page  315). 

Letter  xoritten  by  a  celebrated  Brigand  Chief  to  Manzo  in 
behalf  of  the  Captive,  and  given  to  Mrs.  Moens. 

"Mio  degno  Signore, — Voi  siete  l'uomo  esimio,  e  che  fate  risplen- 
dere  il  vostro  nome  da  per  tutto,  senza  commettere  vilezze  ed  azzioni 
vituperose,  percio,  adesso  siete  l'arbitre  della  vita  d'un  forestiere,  che  non 
avendo  mezzi  geme  quale  belva,  senza  potersi  giovare,  e  la  moglie  ra- 
minga  senza  potergli  dare  aiuto  perche  priva  di  mezzi  ed  ancorche  volesse 
farvi  giungere  una  somma  per  riparare  ai  vostri  bisogni,  con  chi  ?  e  con 
qual  mezzo  ?  percio  usate  a  costui  gentilezze,  carita,  e  commiserazione 
con  rimandarlo  libero  a  cosa  sua ;  imitate  un  Baldarelli,  un  Caliglieri,  i 
Capozzoli,  ed  il  celebre  Talarico,  che  si  decanta  per  generosita.  Finisco 
con  espormi  a  vostri  comandi,  e  mi  dico 

"  Vto.  amico  affto  P.L." 


K  (page  321). 
Copy  of  Manzd's  Receipt. 


354  Appendix. 

Translation. 

"I  have  received  from  Don  Elia  Visconti,  in  four  payments,  the  sum 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty-seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty  livres, 
being  thirty  thousand  ducats,  for  the  ransom  of  the  Englishman  Moens. 
,   "(Signed;  Captaix  Maxzo. 

"Mondogerio,  the  20th  August,  1SG5." 


Names  of  Brigands  Arrested,  Tried,  dnd  Shot  in  1865,  in 
the  Provinces  of  Salerno. 

1.  Spinelli,  an  under  captain. 

2.  Mayaldi. 

3.  Fallotta, 

4.  Saccoccia. 

5.  Antonio  Maratea,  alias  Giardullo,  captain. 

6.  Carmine  Amendolo. 

7.  Vincenzo  Pizza. 

Twelve  others,  belonging  to  Manfro's  and  Palnmbo's  bands,  were  cap- 
tured in  a  house  of  a  priest  in  the  province  of  Avellino,  after  an  obstinate 
fight  with  the  troops. 

The  total  number  taken  and  tried  in  the  two  provinces  of  Avellino 
and  Salerno  during  the  year  was  about  70. 


M. 

The  Names  of  the  Manutengoli  icho  were  Arrested  in  1865. 

The  two  Brothers  Caggiano,  of  St.  Rufo. 
The  Priest  Pagano  and  his  nephew,  of  the  same  place. 
The  Priest  di  Vincenzo  and  all  his  brother's  family,  of  Castel-Civita. 
Don  Nicola  Budetta,  of  Montecorvino  Rovella. 
The  Baron  Giacomo  Perrotta  and  his  brother  (a  priest). 
Don  Francesco  and  Don  Domenico  Copeta. 
Don  Vincenzo  and  Don  Eusebio  Castagna. 
Dottore  Antonino  Cubicciotti. 
Signor  Benedetto  Cozzi. 
Don  Giovani-battista  Rocco. 

Don  Alfonso  Adelizzi  and  his  brother,  all  of  Campagna  d'Eboli,  im- 
plicated with  the  band  of  Giardullo. 

The  Syndaco  of  Sicignano  (Pro.  of  Salerno). 

The  Syndaco  of  Senerchia  and  all  his  family  (Pro.  of  Avellino). 

Dottore  Andrea  Marano,  of  Mont  el  la. 


Appendix.  355 


N. 

Number  of  Soldiers  in  the  two  Provinces  in  March  and 
April,  1865. 
6000  regulars,  besides  the  Carabineers  and  National  Guard. 

Number  of  Soldiers  in  the  two  Provinces  in  July  and 
August,  1865. 

9000  regulars,  besides  the  Carabineers  and  National  Guard  (called  out 
specially). 


o. 

Names  of  the  Persons  seized  and  held  to  Ransom  in  1865 
by  Manzo  and  Giardidlo,  and  amounts  of  Ransoms  de- 
manded and  paid. 

Francs  Francs 

demanded.  paid. 

1.  The  Brothers  Salvatore,  cheese  merchants,  of 

Eboli 106,250  38,038 

2.  Don  Francesco  Comelli,  railway  engineer 212,500  45.000 

3.  Signori  Perito  and  Gallotta,  Canons  of  Eboli..  85,000  28J475 

4.  Adamo  Postiglione,  visitor  to  Eboli 51,000  15,300 

5.  Signori  Achilli  Bellelli  and  Salvatore  Magnone  170,000  51,000 

6.  Signori  Francesco  and  Tomasino  Visconti 170,000  109,250 

7.  W.  J.  C.  Moens  and  Rev.  J.  C.  Murray  Ayns- 

ley,  England 212,500       127,500 

8.  Signor  Wenner  (and  employes)  ;  son  of  Signor 

Alberto  Wenner,  calico-printer  of  Salerno...    1,062,500     *125.000 

2,069,750  536,563 
or,  £82,788  demanded,  and  £21,462  paid  to  the  brigands  of  the  province 
of  Salerno  for  eight  captives,  many  other  smaller  amounts  having  been 
also  paid  during  this  time  for  persons  of  less  consequence. 

*  Taken  in  September,  18G5,  and  now  in  February,  1S66,  still  with  Manzo' s  band,  who 
ask  the  whole  sum  of  £42,500  for  their  ransom. 


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of  the  Dutch  Republic. "    2  vols. ,  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

Hildreth's  History  of  the  United  States.     First  Series. — From 

the  First  Settlement  of  the  Country  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  Second 
Series. — From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  to  the  End  of  the  Sixteenth 
Congress.    By  Richabd  Hildbeth.    6  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $18  00, 


"They  do  honor  to  American  Literature,  and  would  do 
honor  to  the  Literature  of  any  Country  in  the  World." 

THE   RISE   OF 
THE    DUTCH    REPUBLIC. 

&  ^istorg. 
By  JOHN  LOTHROP  MOTLEY. 

New  Edition.     With  a  Portrait  of  William  of  Orange.    3  vols. 
8vo,  Muslin,  $9  00. 

We  regard  this  work  as  the  best  contribution  to  modern  history  that  has  yet 
been  made  by  an  American.—  Methodist  Quarterly  Review. 

The  "History  of  the  Dutch  Republic"  is  a  great  gift  to  us;  but  the  heart  and 
earnestness  that  beat  through  all  its  pages  are  greater,  for  they  give  us  most 
timely  inspiration  to  vindicate  the  true  ideas  of  our  country,  and  to  compose  an 
able  history  of  our  own.— Christian  Examiner  (Boston). 

This  work  bears  on  its  face  the  evidences  of  scholarship  and  research.  The 
arrangement  is  clear  and  effective ;  the  style  energetic,  lively,  and  often  brilliant. 
*  *  *  Mr.  Motley's  instructive  volumes  will,  we  trust,  have  a  circulation  commen- 
surate with  their  interest  and  value.—  Protestant  Episcopal  Quarterly  Review. 

To  the  illustration  of  this  most  interesting  period  Mr.  Motley  has  brought  the 
matured  powers  of  a  vigorous  and  brilliant  mind,  and  the  abundant  fruits  of  pa- 
tient and  judicious  study  and  deep  reflection.  The  result  is,  one  of  the  most 
important  contributions  to  historical  literature  that  have  been  made  in  this  coun- 
try.— North  American  Review. 

We  would  conclude  this  notice  by  earnestly  recommending  our  readers  to  pro- 
cure for  themselves  this  truly  great  and  admirable  work,  by  the  production  of 
which  the  auther  has  conferred  no  less  honor  upon  his  country  than  he  has  won 
praise  and  fame  for  himself,  and  than  which,  we  can  assure  them,  they  can  find 
nothing  more  attractive  or  interesting  within  the  compass  of  modern  literature. 
— Evaiigelical  Review. 

It  is  not  often  that  we  have  the  pleasure  of  commending  to  the  attention  of  the 
lover  of  books  a  work  of  such  extraordinary  aud  unexceptionable  excellence  as 
this  one. — Universalist  Quarterly  Review. 

There  are  an  elevation  and  a  classic  polish  in  these  volumes,  and  a  felicity  of 
grouping  and  of  portraiture,  which  invest  the  subject  with  the  attractions  of  a 
living  and  stirring  episode  in  the  grand  historic  drama. — Southern  Methodist 
Quarterly  Review. 

The  author  writes  with  a  genial  glow  and  love  of  his  subject. — Presbyterian 
Quarterly  Review. 

Mr.  Motley  is  a  sturdy  Republican  and  a  hearty  Protestant  His  style  is  live- 
ly and  picturesque,  and  his  work  is  an  honor  and  an  important  accession  to  our 
national  literature. — Church  Review. 

Mr.  Motley's  work  is  an  important  one,  the  result  of  profound  research,  sincere 
convictions,  sound  principles,  and  manly  sentiments;  and  even  those  who  are 
most  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  period  will  find  in  it  a  fresh  and  vivid  ad- 
dition to  their  previous  knowledge.  It  does  honor  to  American  literature,  and 
would  do  honor  to  the  literature  of  any  country  in  the  world. — Edinburgh  Re- 
view. 

A  serious  chasm  in  English  historical  literature  has  been  (by  this  book)  very 
remarkably  filled.  *  •  *  A  history  as  complete  as  industry  and  genius  can  make 
it  now  lies  before  us,  of  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  revolt  of  the  United  Prov- 
inces. *  *  *  All  the  essentials  of  a  great  writer  Mr.  Motley  eminently  possesses. 
His  mind  is  broad,  his  industry  unwearied.  In  power  of  dramatic  description 
no  modern  historian,  except,  perhaps,  Mr.  Carlyle,  surpasses  him,  and  in  analy- 
sis of  character  he  is  elaborate  and  distinct. — Westminster  Review. 


2    MOTLEY'S  RISE  OF  THE  DUTCH  REPUBLIC 

It  is  a  work  of  real  historical  value,  the  result  of  accurate  criticism,  written 
in  a  liberal  spirit,  and  from  first  to  last  deeply  interesting. — Atherueum. 

The  style  is  excellent,  clear,  vivid,  eloquent ;  and  the  industry  with  which 
original  sources  have  been  investigated,  and  through  which  new  light  has  been 
shed  over  perplexed  incidents  and  characters,  entitles  Mr.  Motley  to  a  high  rank 
in  the  literature  of  an  age  peculiarly  rich  in  history. — Xorth  British  Review. 

It  abounds  in  new  information,  and,  as  a  first  work,  commands  a  very  cordial 
recognition,  not  merely  of  the  promise  it  gives,  but  of  the  extent  and  importance 
of  the  labor  actually  performed  on  it London  Examiner. 

Mr.  Motley's  "History"  is  a  work  of  which  any  country  might  be  proud.— 
Press  (London). 

Mr.  Motley's  History  will  be  a  standard  book  of  reference  in  historical  litera- 
ture.— London  Literary  Gazette. 

Mr.  Motley  has  searched  the  whole  range  of  historical  documents  necessary  to 
the  composition  of  his  work. — London  Leader. 

This  is  really  a  great  work.  It  belongs  to  the  class  of  books  in  which  we 
range  our  Grotes,  Milmaus,  Merivales,  and  Macaulays,  as  the  glories  of  English 
literature  in  the  department  of  history.  *  *  *  Mr.  Motley's  gifts  as  a  historical 
writer  are  among  the  highest  and  rarest. — Xonamformist  (London). 

Mr.  Motley's  volumes  will  well  repay  perusal.  •  •  ■  For  his  learning,  his  liberal 
tone,  and  his  generous  enthusiasm,  we  heartily  commend  him,  and  bid  him  good 
speed  for  the  remainer  of  his  interesting  and  heroic  narrative. — Saturday  Review. 

The  story  is  a  noble  one,  and  is  worthily  treated.  *  *  ■  Mr.  Motley  has  had  the 
patience  to  unravel,  with  unfailing  perseverance,  the  thousand  intricate  plots  of 
the  adversaries  of  the  Prince  of  Orange ;  but  the  details  and  the  literal  extracts 
which  he  has  derived  from  original  documents,  and  transferred  to  his  pages, 
give  a  truthful  color  and  a  picturesque  effect,  which  are  especially  charming.— 
London  Daily  yews. 

M.  Lothrop  Motley  dans  son  magnifiqne  tableau  de  la  formation  de  notre  Re- 
publique. — G.  Gboen  Van  Pbixstebeb. 

Our  accomplished  countryman,  Mr.  J.  Lothrop  Motley,  who,  during  the  last 
five  years,  for  the  better  prosecution  of  his  labors,  has  established  his  residence 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  scenes  of  his  narrative.  Xo  one  acquainted  with  the 
fine  powers  of  mind  possessed  by  this  scholar,  and  the  earnestness  with  which  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  the  task,  can  doubt  that  he  will  do  full  justice  to  his  im- 
portant but  difficult  subject. — W.  H.  Prescott. 

The  production  of  such  a  work  as  this  astonishes,  while  it  gratifies  the  pride 
of  the  American  reader. — X.  Y.  Observer. 

The  "Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic"  at  once,  and  by  acclamation,  takes  its 
place  by  the  "  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,"  as  a  work  which,  wheth- 
er for  research,  substance,  or  style,  will  never  be  superseded. — A".  Y.  Albion. 

A  work  upon  which  all  who  read  the  English  language  may  congratulate 
themselves. — -V«r  Yorker  Handels  Zeitung. 

Mr.  Motley's  place  is  now  (alluding  to  this  book)  with  Hallam  and  Lord  Ma- 
hon,  Alison  and  Macaulay  in  the  Old  Country,  and  with  Washington  Irving, 
Prescott,  and  Bancroft  in  this. — X  Y.  Times. 

The  authority,  in  the  English  tongue,  for  the  history  of  the  period  and  people 
to  which  it  refers. — K  Y.  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

This  work  at  once  places  the  author  on  the  list  of  American  historians  which 
has  been  so  signally  illustrated  by  the  names  of  Irving,  Prescott,  Bancroft,  and 
Hildreth.— Boston  Times. 

The  work  is  a  noble  one,  and  a  most  desirable  acquisition  to  our  historical  lit- 
erature.— Mobile  Advertiser. 

Such  a  work  is  an  honor  to  its  author,  to  his  country,  and  to  the  age  in  which 
it  was  written. — Ohio  Farmer. 

Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

Franklin  Square,  New  York. 


H  akvrb  &  Brothers  will  send  the  above  Work  by  Mail  (postage  paid  (for  any 
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